


Papillon

by TheBrcklayer



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, American Superheroes, Asexual Alix Kubdel, Badass Alix Kubdel, Badass Aurore Beauréal, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Bee Aurore Beauréal, Bee Miraculous, Bisexual Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Bisexual Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Butterfly Effect, Butterfly Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Butterfly Miraculous, Canon Bisexual Character, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Disabled Character, Dragon Alix Kubdel, Dragon Miraculous, For Want of a Nail, Gabriel Agreste Is Not Hawk Moth, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Redemption, Gen, Good Parent Gabriel Agreste, Happy Nooroo (Miraculous Ladybug), Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng says fuck, My First Work in This Fandom, Nooroo Needs a Hug (Miraculous Ladybug), Not Canon Compliant, Peacock Lila Rossi, Peacock Miraculous, Physical Disability, Save Nooroo (Miraculous Ladybug), Sister-Sister Relationship, Sisters, Transgender Duusu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-08 08:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 127,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21472906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBrcklayer/pseuds/TheBrcklayer
Summary: ...In one timeline, Nooroo would have been absolutely correct and a life of control and enslavement would have awaited him. But in this timeline, things were different.“No,” Gabriel Agreste finally breathes out. “It’s not worth it.”------------In one timeline, Paris had been terrorized by black butterflies swooping down at a moment’s notice. In one timeline it would love the little white ones. In one timeline it would shudder in horror at the phrase ‘Dark Wings Rise’ and in one it would learn to praise it.For want of a simple horseshoe nail, Gabriel chose not to become Hawkmoth and put his family first. But Paris still needs someone to use the Butterfly Miraculous. If only this time to save it.Marinette has no idea what she's in for, but even without Lady Luck on her side she'll find a way to save Paris.Somewhat inspired by Nymph and the Corrupted Miraculous.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Aurore Beauréal & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nooroo, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Lila Rossi, Nathaniel Kurtzberg/Lila Rossi, Nooroo/Pollen (Miraculous Ladybug)
Comments: 131
Kudos: 268





	1. 1: Wings Fall, Wings Rise

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Nymph and the corrupted Miraculous](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9534191) by [Child_of_the_Fae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Child_of_the_Fae/pseuds/Child_of_the_Fae). 
**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to zipadeea and her(?) piece 'Yesterday was just awful' for being a major inspiration on how to handle Gabriel's change of heart.
> 
> And no, I don't own Ladybug. My name isn't Thomas Astruc for one.

Gabriel Agreste could never say he was expecting it. Actually, he couldn't even say he wanted it. Children? Him? That was hardly something he wanted. He was 33. It wasn’t exactly a very old age to become a father, but all the same it still threw him for a loop. He could never say he actually expected Emilie to say she was pregnant. But to become a fashion mogul -which was what he was on the tip of becoming thanks to one Audrey Bourgeois- it was a fairly young age indeed. He was going through a while range of emotions. Shock, terror, and general insecurity beyond belief. Panic really. He never wanted a child. Emilie did, but him? Never?

Emilie was a beautiful actress and amazing woman, and he was a designer and both were at the height of their prospective careers. She was excited, over the moon actually and she, if not Gabriel knew they could do it. 

They’d be good parents, and Emilie would finish her next movie while he’d finish his next lineup. That was what she said, anyways, Gabriel wasn't really sure. Emile's sister called her a fool in way over her head.

But eventually, as ever Gabriel believes everything she says, because it was true. They could handle anything and everything that came their way, they were an actress and a designer. At least that’s what Gabriel tells himself.

It’s not about the money, both have plenty of that. No, it was never about that. It was about what came _ next _that worried him.

It was about their image, as they were about to go from fine dining and campaign and high-class society meetups to exhaustion and trips to crummy theme parks and bottles and puke and lord only knew what else. Because it wasn’t just caring for an infant. No, it didn’t stop there.

It’s years of doctors appointments and parent-teacher conferences and school plays and oh did we mention the crummy theme parks? It was beyond frightening and Gabriel really didn't even know if he was the right kind of person to be a parent.

Yes, maybe if he gave up his dreams of becoming a star designer -ha, like that would happen!- he could deal but this was a whole new ballpark. Of course, it didn’t have to be such a scary prospect, as they could hire a nanny. They could hire three, or four or as many as it took. Whatever it took to get the job done. They could hire the finest sorts of cooks and only the best of maids. Hell, they could even hire some private tutors to make sure that their child had only the finest education in the world.

But Gabriel wouldn’t do that, and neither would Emilie. It wasn't their style, and they didn't want their child to grow up basically unloved. (Huh, maybe he was cut out for this whole parent business after all.)

Actually, Gabriel knew the reason why he was already plotting and planning in his own little ways for when their little angel(s?) arrived. Because there was always the possibility of him having twins or triplets or something. Gabriel’s parents had been distant when he was a child and he would never allow that, for history to repeat. He would never allow history to repeat, not as long as he lived. He was buzzing with nerves, but elation as well. He couldn’t wait to meet his child. Emilie sat every night in the corner of the living room. To Gabriel's pleasant surprise, already she was rubbing her belly and talking to the child within. Even if, the both of them knew perfectly well that her child couldn't hear her.

And so, Gabriel sets up all the books and the nursery and whatever else needs to be done. 

\-----------

Gabriel Agreste is thirty-four when the accident happens. A drunk driver, he runs a red light and slammed right into the side of the family car. The window shattered and the passenger door conclaved inwards with a horrible resounding ** _crunch! _**One horrible resounding crunch that sends everything into a downward spiral. In hindsight, he thinks this was the moment. From this moment on Gabriel Agreste swears to never drive a car again. Maybe his child would never have nannies and maids but by god above, he would definitely have a chauffeur. (And he would find one in an ex-paramilitary man from French special forces. Only the best to protect his little boy.)

The last thing Gabriel remembers before the blackout was to throw his arms around Emile’s stomach before the blackout. Emilie is in surgery within fifteen minutes from what Gabriel is told. By some chance miracle, two paramedics having lunch in their ambulance had seen the entire thing and tore past everyone with lights and sirens like a bat out of hell after prying the two out of their car. 

Gabriel wakes in the hospital with a horrible concussion and a horrible nagging feeling knowing that something was _ devastatingly _wrong. He just knows that _something_ is horribly sickeningly wrong. It's a sick feeling, a churn in his gut, an aching instinctual throb.

He looks at the child in front of him, born a month early from the shock of it all and names him ‘Adrien’, after his beloved grandfather. He remembers the evenings Emile and him had spent painstakingly looking through books before they’d found their favorite until finally they'd remembered him. Maybe they wouldn’t have a mother, and maybe Gabriel wouldn’t leave this hospital with his child alive but they would have each other. Gabriel swears by it.

Emilie was put in some induced coma, though in Gabriel’s mind that was no better than death. In hindsight, perhaps this was the moment when history changed. Instead of messing around with miraculous far beyond her control, it was a drunk driver that sets everything in motion. The driver’s fate was sealed the moment he walked into the courtroom, a childhood friend of Gabriel’s known as Nathalie Sancoeur becoming Gabriel's lawyer. Together, they ensure the utter _monster_ that murdered his wife and ruined his life would be locked up for years to come. At the trial, Gabriel breaks down completely, barely managing to blubber out his side of the story.

It would be the only time he would ever lose his composure in public ever again, he swears by this as well. He describes it all, from the birth of his beautiful baby boy to the drunken bastard slamming head-on into that car to how if not for him his WIFE would still be here today. She would still be in his arms, if not for that putrid wretch calling himself a human being sitting across from him. There was screaming and swearing and for a moment Gabriel wonders if he would have to be dragged unceremoniously from the room. Amelie was in the courtroom as well, giving Gabriel a look of unadulterated hatred for getting her beloved sister killed.

Nathalie gapes at him before her expression hardens and she joins in on accusing the man with a fury Gabriel had never seen in her. He suspected, of course, but he never called her on it. Hell, he knew what lurked in her heart. Why else would the woman have been there for him in his darkest days when it was only him and Adrien and he was regularly having panic attacks at anything that even resembled the headlights of a car. In some other universe, maybe he would consider returning those feelings. But not in this one, as he believes it would be betraying his love.

In any event, the man’s fate was sealed forevermore. He never even stood a chance, the court was on Gabriel’s side in only a few short seconds. Yes, Gabriel knew his name but he never swore to think of it, as acknowledging that name would be like acknowledging he was a human being. And that was something the patron of the Agreste family would never do. Not after what had happened.

Gabriel wasn’t sure how it happened but somehow he turned to the mystical visiting small dingy corner shops and odd monks in the mountains. Amelie calls him 'obsessed' and they never speak again. Perhaps she's right.

Psychics and witches, all false promises and, of course, in the end he winds up with nothing. Well, almost nothing. He finds himself in the hands of a book and a small little butterfly named Nooroo. No creature named Duusu, however. That was the second thing that would change it all, Gabriel never even knowing of a second brooch that created sentmonsters. Now, of course, all of this is leading up to something. But you may ask, what?

Now, in one timeline Gabriel’s fate was sealed as soon as he picked up this book and this little creature that called itself a kwami.

But what would happen if for the want of a nail, what if he said ‘no?’

What if Paris was never menaced by a Hawkmoth? 

Well now, that is where our story begins.

\-----------

“Master,” Nooroo says to him. “...you know the Miraculouses… they could bring your wife back.”

Nooroo shudders at the thought, yes the wish-granting properties of the Kwamis of Creation and Destruction were powerful and could revert anything. But there must always be a balance. For a life to return, something must be taken in return. That is always the way.

That had always been the way.

And that would always be the way.

He looks at the man in front of him, the timid Kwami had always considered himself a good judge of character. Even he could tell the man in front of him was desperate, desperate enough to do anything and everything. Move the heavens and the stars to get his wife back.

In one timeline, Nooroo would have been absolutely correct and a life of control and enslavement would have awaited him. But in this timeline, things were different. 

“No,” Gabriel Agreste finally breathes out. “It’s not worth it.”

“Not worth it?” Nooroo asks in a surprised tone mixed with a tinge of relief. “Whatever do you mean?”

“...Emilie wouldn’t want this,” Gabriel breathed. “You said it clear as day, for a life to be returned another must be exchanged. What if it were my son? What then? I… I can’t lose him, he’s all I have left.”

And so Gabriel takes off the small brooch before Nooroo can say anything more and places the brooch back inside it’s box.

And so, therefore, Paris would never come to know the terror of a Hawkmoth or the terror of anything resembling an Akuma. Adrien Agreste would grow up happy, healthy, and more importantly _ loved _and would never see leather in this lifetime.

Well, except for that one moment of teenage rebellion that would inevitably come and that Gabriel had prepared himself for. Even if it still nearly gave him a heart attack to see his son in a leather jacket and dressed up like a hooligan complete with striking neon green hair that surely that Tsurugi woman had talked him into. 

Of course, Gabriel wasn’t really sure what to do next, but first he had to find out who this strange little creature belonged to. He could have kept Nooroo, of course, he could have. But the power he held was far too tempting for Gabriel’s liking. The man knew in one desperate moment, just one moment of allowing his willpower to slip he could call out those fateful words.

Dark Wings rise, yes those were them. They granted magnificent power and it was far too much for Gabriel to even consider. He knew he could easily steal even greater power with it.

No, this box had to be returned to its proper owner and that was the end of it. 

Eventually, in a small corner of Paris, a man Gabriel knew to be the Guardian was found. As a result, two very happy Kwamis -because Gabriel had found a peacock brooch as well- were reunited with him. 

“It was very brave of you to do this,” the Guardian, who Gabriel learns to be simply called ‘Fu’ says to him with an approving glance. He was an old man, far older than anyone had any right to be. At first, Gabriel wonders if it has anything to do with the strange turtle sprite floating around the room but then he sees the teas and the soups and knows a far more mundane explanation.

“A far weaker man would have been tempted by the power,” Fu continues and Gabriel wonders if he’s judging him. “So give an old man an answer to a curious riddle. Why did you return them?”

“The price…” Gabriel answers after a long silence. “...was too high. It would have cost me everything.”

“Ah, I see…” Fu answers with another approving nod and appraising look. “Between you and me, I think you would have made a great superhero.”

“I doubt that very much.” Gabriel says as he sips his tea. 

For whatever reason, Gabriel finds himself coming back to the old man again and again just to share in his wisdom.

He doesn’t quite know why, but still he comes again and again. Not once is he ever tempted by the thought of any of the Miraculouses.

Hmm, perhaps Fu had been right. He may never know.

But what Gabriel does know is this, as over a decade later when he hears the news of a small girl caught in a car crash and paralyzed perhaps for life something had to be done. He is sent into flashbacks at first, knowing that little girl could have very well have been him. He shudders in horror, it could have been _ Adrien _in that car. For a moment, he briefly thanks god for his chauffeur's supreme driving skills and thanking god this could never come to pass. But the image that comes next never fails to leave his mind. 

In his mind’s eye he sees a horrific image, one of his sweet lovely boy bound to a wheelchair and he looks up the name of the girl. Marinette Dupian-Chang. Horrorstruck, he realizes. She didn’t deserve this. Something must be done. 

And again he thinks to the Miraculouses, knowing that perhaps something _ could _be done. Maybe Marinette could be granted some form of… miracle. 

Begging and pleading he goes to Fu, who nods and understands at every word as always. And then he smiles and nods in agreement. Gabriel finally allows himself to let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been even holding. 

In one timeline, Paris had been terrorized by black butterflies swooping down at a moment’s notice. In one timeline it would love the little white ones. In one timeline it would shudder in horror at the phrase “Dark Wings Rise!” and in one it would learn to praise it.

\-----------

12 Rue Gotlib, 21st arrondissement, Paris, France was home to a nice little place that everyone and their mother talked about. A bakery, right across the street from Collège Françoise Dupont that opened every day, including Sundays at 7:00 exactly in the morning. Across the street on the opposite side was the Place des Vosges.

Situated in an attractive location in Paris, the bakery was frequented by all sorts. Selling everything from warm fluffy baguettes to homemade macarons, it was often cited as the best bakery in all of Paris. 

A nice little family lived there, the Dupain-Chengs having started the place up soon after they married, titling it simply the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. Not exactly imagnative by any stretch but it was simple and got the point across. Upon entering the bakery you’d be greeted by an attractive aroma of smells and a series of glass display cabinets showcasing many of the treats on offer.

In the kitchen, you’d often find Tom Dupain kneading rolls of dough while humming a merry tune or watching the news. Caring to a fault -if not very passionate about the things he loved- Tom had passed many of these traits onto his beloved daughter, Marinette.

“Marinette! Your alarm's been going off for fifteen minutes! You're going to be late for your first day back at school!” called a voice. Sabine Cheng, the other half of the duo. Warm and professional, she treated others with the sort of kindness only a mother could provide if not a bit nosy.

Marinette let out a groan as she fumbled around under her covers reaching for the alarm clock before finally knocking it off the bedside table with her wildly flailing limbs. Groaning to herself once more, she muttered: “Lucky me… Superclutz does it again.” 

Slowly but surely, she managed to climb into her wheelchair and shuddered in memory at the dreams the night before had given her. A flash of headlights in the pouring spring rain, and a sharp scream over the bellow of a horn.

She shuddered at the memories and tried as hard as she could to force them back. 

“Marinette, you okay up there?” Sabine called again. “You don’t need help getting dressed, do you?” 

“I’m managing!” Marinette said as she ran through her usual checklist of the day pressing a button on the side of her wheelchair to move forwards towards her dresser. 

_ “Okay, let’s see here. Weather, supposed to be a warm spring day. Well, as warm as it gets in Paris anyways. So…” _

Marinette knew her course in life was set, she wanted to be in fashion no matter what and that included in spite of her current disability. There were plenty of adaptive clothes on the market, really, but some were better than others such as a poncho-like cape from a company Marinette cared not to remember.

Companies such as _ Gabriel _were getting more and more creative, and sometimes sorta out there with their new designs. High backed pants, full length or just thigh high zippers. Hooked on clasps instead of buttons, cropped back jackets. The list went on and on. 

Now, obviously, Marinette’s parents had come across the first issue with their daughter being probably wheelchair-bound for life. Stairs, as you see the main living quarters were above the bakery and with their salary they could neither change their house nor adapt their current one. But as luck would have it, help would come from, of all places, Gabriel Agreste. 

He, on the down low, donated money to the ever grateful couple and stairlifts and ramps were added all throughout the entire house and the already existing stairs had been widened to make room. Now Gabriel wanted to pay for more additions, but Sabine and Tom would have none of it being as stubborn and prideful as they were.

Now, on weekends Marinette made sure to take ‘walks’ for lack of a better word. She never had any real set destination in mind, and as Paris was a fairly safe location and the Dupain-Chengs knew that Marinette needed some time to herself -for creative inspiration and all that- they obliged her. Her constant little journeys were always providing her with some new and fascinating inspiration such as the simple things as birds and flowers to just witnessing a captured moment in time that was fleeting and then gone again like the wind. 

After dressing herself, Marinette reminded herself the one advantage to being wheelchair-bound was that she always had a flat surface on hand to draw whatever she needed for her latest creation. The little things, she always told herself. It was either be grateful for the small things or break down crying. Marinette always prided herself on her strength, plus any ammunition she denied Chloe was a good thing. Never mind the fact that her friend Aurore kept telling her even Dupont’s ‘Queen Bee’ had her limits on how far she was willing to go.

“Marinette!” Sabine called again.

Marinette shouted: “Coming!” even as she descended the stairlift into the living room, Sabine cooking breakfast as the warm smell of bread wafted from below. 

“I bet you anything Chloé will be in my class again…” Marinette muttered. “Four years in a row, I know, it’s practically impossible but that’s just the way my luck seems to go doesn’t it?”

“Oh, don't say that! It's the start of a new year - I'm sure everything will be just fine!” Sabine assured. “Besides, you know what Ms. Beauréal keeps saying.”

“Even Chloe has her limits.” both of the Cheng women repeated in unison as they always did.

“Somehow I find that hard to believe…” Marinette uttered to herself remembering the blond since her early days of schooling. Somehow she was hard to forget really. “She’s a spoiled brat!”

“But she’s not a monster, Mari,” came a familiar if not welcomed voice. Marinette broke out into a smile upon hearing it. “I mean, if the Mayor’s daughter _ ever _got caught up mocking a paraplegic then Mayor Bourgeois would never hear the end of it! I doubt he’d get re-elected! Imagine that!”

“Aurore!” Sabine said warmly as Marinette hugged her friend, the blond-haired young woman in her seemingly ever-present blue dress and with her seemingly ever-present parasol present. Both exchanged kisses on the cheeks.

“So what’s this about Chloe?” Aurore asked turning to Marinette.

The friendship had started off as most friendships with Marinette did, a possible crash-into hello and very muttered apologies. It had been one of those cold and rainy spring days everyone in Paris hated, but had grown used to. Aurore had been walking home, one of those few people who actually _ enjoyed _the rain. Marinette always swore Garbage’s ‘Only Happy When it Rained’ applied to her as a statement of fact. 

Marinette had been caught in the rain, surprised on how fast the stormy weather came up as it did. The weather report had said scattered showers, not a sudden torrent! Then again, her dad always said the weatherman was never to be trusted anyways. Whatever the case, somehow Marinette had wound up out in the rain in the middle of the park with her wheelchair half stuck in the mud.

By pure chance, Aurore had been walking and even singing and dancing in the rain, not exactly paying attention to what was in front. And what was in front of her happened to be a very frustrated Marinette stuck in the mud. Poor Aurore tripped over Marinette, the two seemingly two of a kind and equally clumsy as the other. Aurore ended up with a face full of mud, and a ruined outfit. 

_ “Oh goodness me!” Marinette shouted watching the blond woman pick herself out of the mud and the muck her hair ruined beyond belief. “I’m so sorry, like I’m so sorry!” _

_ “Non, non!” the woman shouted as she wiped the mud off of her face. “I’m the one who should be sorry, silly me, singing and dancing in the rain like I’m in Les Miserables or something!” _

_ “No, no, I should be the one that’s sorry, not paying attention to the weather report and getting myself stuck in the mud like a complete idiot!” Marinette said. “But lucky me, eh?” _

_ “Course you’re lucky,” the woman said in reply. “If you hadn’t been out when you did, you might not have run into me, right?” _

_ She simply oozed self-confidence, enough to make Marinette feel more than inadequate. Everything from her poise even down to her style of dress screamed ‘look out world, here I come!’ to Marinette. She envied people like that. _

_ “...who are you anyways?” Marinette just had to ask. The young woman stuck her hand out. _

_ “Aurore, and you’re… Marinette right?” the now-named girl said with Marinette nodding. Oddly, Aurore didn’t seem to mind her hair being ruined now, and seemed more interested in Marinette. She didn’t know if this was a good or a bad thing yet, although Aurore did seem to be the friendly sort. “...Right, right. I thought so! My neighbor, Mr. Kubdel? He talks endlessly about you. Or at least your parent’s bakery. He always says…” _

_ “They make the best bread in the whole of Paris,” Marinette repeated in unison with Aurore. “He’s a regular customer, his daughter Alix? Actually a friend of mine, -sorta- I’m hoping she’ll get placed with me in Ms. Bustier’s class this year.” _

_ “Oh, you go to Dupont?” Aurore asked in shock before she smiled pleasantly, a warm smile. “So do I! I should be a year or so above you, but…” _

_ Thunder cracked in the sky above as the rain continued. “Oh, we should probably get inside, before we catch a cold!” Aurore said. “Here, I’ll help walk you home.” _

_ “I… I can get out of this,” Marinette said pressing a button although the only result of that was her wheelchair spitting up mud behind her. “...I think.” _

_ “Don’t be silly, there’s no need to strain yourself,” Aurore said. “Maman always said a friend in need is a friend indeed!” _

_ Placing her umbrella to the side, Aurore helped Marinette out of the mud. “...You didn’t have to do that, you know…” the bluenette muttered. _

_ “But I could, and I did!” Aurore said. “No arguments. Bup-bup! Don’t even think of trying!” _

_ Marinette sweatdropped, this Aurore girl was unbelievable. But she didn’t mind, really. Slowly, but surely, Marinette’s people skills told her yes, Aurore was an okay girl. And besides, anyone who could be as clumsy as she used to be probably needed a friend or two. She knew Chloe would love to go after whom she deemed clutz, Marinette thought in disgust. “Chloe Bourgeois?” Aurore asked. _

_ “How did you…?” _

_ “Oh please, the only two ways someone gets that expression in this city is if they’re thinking of Miss Queen Bee or they smelled something unpleasant. ...The two aren’t necessarily always unrelated, what with that cheap perfume and all I know she wears. Ugh.” _

_ “I know right?” Marinette laughed. “Who is she trying to impress? And my god, her face looks so plastic!” _

_ It felt nice to vent about Chloe, Marinette mused. Like… really nice. _

_ “Sounds like her, yeah,” Aurore said with a laugh the rain forgotten for a moment. “Let me guess, you know her?” _

_ “...Sadly,” Marinette grumbled. “We’ve been in the exact same class together for three whole years, probably going on four with my luck!” _

_ “Ooooof, tough going. Three whole years with the Queen Bee, for real?” _

_ “Her and her little hive, or hangers-on, or whatever you want to call it,” Marinette groused. “Honestly, I don’t know how…” _

_ “Well, you’re not alone anymore,” Aurore said. “Now you’ve got me.” _

_ Marinette still didn’t know how she felt about that just yet. She still smiled anyways, all the same. _

“Girl, from the sounds of it? All you need is confidence. I keep telling you this” Aurore said as she continued to explain to Marinette. “Not that I’m saying you’re a pushover or anything but…”

“You sound like you are.” Marinette deadpanned.

“What I’m saying is you need to be more confident in yourself, girl,” Aurore continued as they exited the Dupian-Cheng bakery and started across the street “You were snarking your ass off at Chloe just a few short weeks ago when we met. If you were like that ‘round her all the time, she’d leave you alone and move onto an easier target.”

“...Like I’d wish Chloe on anyone,” Marinette replied. “No, if she keeps on me-”

“She’ll wear you out, and then where will you be?” Aurore said with a stern look using her parasol to shield herself from the sun. “Oh no, you need to put your foot down and tell her you will not be pushed around. Starting this year, it’s a whole new Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

If Aurore only knew how right she was.

“Marinette!” Alix cried as she roller-skated over to the twosome. “Aurore!”

“Alix!” Marinette said bringing her other best friend in for a hug. 

“Okay… Okay, yeah, that’s a little too close for comfort! See, now we’re just getting mushy, no hugs m’kay? I thought we agreed on this!” Alix said as she tried to pull the bluenette off her even if her displeasure didn’t quite reach her tone.

“Tsundere,” Aurore muttered with a fond smile. “Totally Tsundere. Honestly, like Weiss and Ruby, you two… Guess that means I’m Yang then!”

“If that was the case,” Alix said as she skated over to the girl. “That must mean we have to be on the lookout for a robotic arm for you then!” she teased.

“Ugh, spare me!” Aurore said with a grumble. “...I’m Blake in that case. Definitely Blake.”

“You _ would _look cute with cat ears…” Marinette mused having heard a bit about the show from her friends. Wasn’t her thing, really, but she could see the appeal… sorta. Give her Fullmetal Alchemist anyday.

“...Oh god,” Alix grumbled in disgust and apparent realization. “Can I be Yang? I just realized, if I’m Weiss that means I have to be a rich snob who dates Marinette in this hypothetical. And as much as I like Weiss, I do not swing that way Mari!”

Marinette looked over to the nearby park, where once again Mister Ramier was getting chewed out for his love of feeding the park pigeons by Sabrina’s father, Roger. She sighed, poor Mr. Ramier. Even if the elder Raincomprix didn’t have to be so harsh about it, feeding the park pigeons in Paris _ was _ illegal. 

“Yeah, yeah, sure you can,” Marinette said to Alix sighing again as she watched Mister Ramier walk off. “...Poor guy. Really, Roger?”

“Guy loves his pigeons,” Alix commented checking her watch for the time before her eyes widened. She let out a yelp of shock as she did so. “Oh, Ms. Bustier is going to kill us if we’re late!”

Marinette let out a squawk of fear and then a squeak as Alix waved off Aurore and pushed Marinette up the ramp. “...Geez, you trying to give me a heart attack?” Marinette asked. “Could have warned me before you did that.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t have slammed you into a wall or anything,” Alix said taking off her skates. “I’m not _ that _careless you know. Now remember what Aurore said. Confidence!”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see how it goes when Chloe gets here, okay?” Marinette said as she moved herself torwards towards the classroom. 

“Aurore’s right you know,” Alix said opening up a pack of gum, before chewing it and blowing up a bubble with a ‘pop’. “You really need to be more confident in yourself. Edmund Burke okay? And yes, I know that name, blame my big bro. Edmond Burke said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Needless to say, Chloe is _ evil.” _

“I can handle her,” Marinette said. “I’ve dealt with her for the past three years, I can handle her for a fourth.”

Alix made a small noise, unconvinced. Now normally, Marinette would have wheeled herself over to her desk and that would have been that, but today she stopped herself. As Alix went inside the classroom, Marinette noticed an older man, wearing this absolutely _ horrendous _Hawaiian shirt -because really, when were they not horrendous?- looking rather lost.

“Excuse me?” Marinette said going over to the man. “Is something wrong?”

“...Yes, I’m just looking for my granddaughter,” the elderly man said, Marinette taking notice of his strange bracelet. “She should be with Mr. Markoff? Problem is, I don’t know exactly where his classroom is, and she forgot her lunch today so…”

“Down the hall, first door to your left,” Marinette said. “Just past the bathrooms.”

“Thank you, young miss,” the older man said and if Marinette noticed him slipping something into her bag she said nothing.

Fu smiled. So this was the girl Gabriel had been keeping an eye on? She was sweet, if not a bit insecure. She would not have been the ideal choice for the Butterfly if you asked him. Then again, those who bore the burden and responsibility of the Miraculous often changed in the most unexpected of ways. A leader was required for the powers of the Butterfly to be brought forth, and with the Peacock currently missing…

_ “I shudder to think what might happen if someone doesn’t step up in time, I may be young -186 and a half is still young!- but that doesn’t mean I can fight Duusu’s new bearer alone,” _ Fu thought. _ “Oh well, I’ve only got it wrong once in my life. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I hope you’re ready for what’s to come.” _

This was going to be one of those long years.

\-----------

Aurore Beauréal considered herself a smart young lady, not as smart as her mother of course, but pretty damn smart for her age.

So, during her walk across the school grounds between classes and her taking notice of an elderly gentleman who should not have been there she considered her curiosity piqued.

“Hey!” Aurore shouted as she raced after the man dropping her books. Now yes, it was entirely possible he was Marinette’s grandfather but Aurore had seen the entire Cheng family tree -She and Mari were tight like that- and nowhere on it was this man.

A protective fury raced through her as she saw him talking to Marinette. He could have been a creeper or something!

Her mother had also been a bit on the hot-headed side when it came to the people she cared about so… um… yeah. 

“Mhmm?” Fu asked as he saw the onrushing girl coming towards him her parasol brandished like a sword. “Oh deary me…”

“Hold it!” Aurore shouted. “Who the hell are you?”

_ “This girl, fiery like a dragon and about as protective as a bee over her hive,” _ Fu observed. _ “Interesting combination.” _

“Just a simple man, looking for his granddaughter,” Fu said in reply. “Is it really necessary to be so... “

He paused to search for the right words. “...rash?”

Too late he realized that might not have been the best choice. 

“Likely story,” Aurore remarked crossing her arms. “And how do I know you’re not some perverted creeper? So hell yeah, I’m going to be ‘rash’ with you right now! Keep away from Marinette!”

If Fu could have, he would have facepalmed. _ “Silly me… Oh dear, this has never happened before has it? ...Though I do suppose I can sorta see how my actions might have been taken that way. Quick, say something fast! Some piece of ancient wisdom!” _

“I assure you, young miss,” Fu said in his best grandfatherly tone. “I had no less than honorable intentions towards your friend. All I needed to know was the way to a classroom to look for my granddaughter.”

Aurore looked the wise old sage in the eye. _ “There we go, dummy,” _ Aurore thought to herself. _ “There you go, letting your temper rule you again. Maman always said you were like a thunderstorm when riled, you dolt.” _

Least she was no Alix, Aurore noted. God only knew what Alix might have done in this sort of situation. She might have punched the old man. Aurore fought back a shudder. Yeah, she was _ definitely _ glad she wasn’t Alix right now.

“...Yeah, uh… Sorry about that,” Aurore noted as she ran a sheepish hand through her golden locks. “But can you blame me? A strange old man speaking to my best friend, barely 15? How else was I supposed to take that?”

“You are a rare one, not many would jump up to defend their friend so readily in this day and age,” Fu noted of the young lady before him. Perhaps… Perhaps Marinette Dupian-Cheng was not the only one deserving of a Miraculous. “Your family must be proud of you.”

“Your point?” Aurore asked. “But yeah, of course, I’ll defend Marinette any time, any day of the week. The girl isn’t going to stand up for herself every time.”

“Have you considered this Marinette is strong in her own way?” Fu asked pointedly striking Aurore silent. “She may not like you treating her like a porcelain doll. She has to grow out of her own cocoon.”

“Y-Yeah, but…” Aurore stammered out. “...Look, I know she’s strong in her own way, anyone in her situation would have to be. But that doesn’t mean I can’t look out after her right? She’s all but family to me.”

“Very noble,” Fu replied taking all of this in. “But all the same, sometimes you have to let her be her own woman. Not just jumping to her defense at every turn. She has to learn for herself. Is that not what you want?”

Aurore didn’t know who this man was, nor did she know how he managed to ask all the right questions so well. _ “Goddamnit, he’s good… I do want Marinette to stand up for herself some day, yeah! But all the same, as she is now, Chloe or someone worse -and yeah, there are people worse than the Queen Bee- might get to her otherwise. She needs the help, but… but all the same, maybe I should take a few steps back and let Marinette do her own thing.” _

“I trust you’ve made up your mind then?” Fu asked noticing the ever-changing expressions present on Aurore’s face with a small smirk.

“...Maybe, I don’t know…” Aurore muttered. “Gah, it’s just… with Marinette, I _ want _to protect her and all but…”

“You know she has to…” Fu started with Aurore finishing for him.

“...Grow out of her own shell?” Aurore admitted. “...yeah, of course I know that. She really is like a butterfly in your analogy isn’t she? She’s just trapped in a cocoon of her own self doubt. ...Hey, wait a moment, how the hell do you even know who Marinette is? You haven’t been spying on her have you?”

“Friend of the family, you might say,” Fu said in reply as he walked off Aurore never noticing something being slipped into the pockets of her pants. “Have a good day, friend.”

“...You… You too.” Aurore muttered not even exactly sure why she was answering. 

She continued on her way, stopping to pick up her books and head onto her next class. Oh, Ms. Mendeleiev was so going to kill her if she was late. _ “Yeah, that’s one woman who will always be scarier than I am. I’d hate to see some supervillain cowering under her glare! Science Teacher! ...Okay, yeah, that’s a lame nickname. Maybe Marinette could do better, she’s always been the more imaginative one of the three of us. The old guy was right though, I really do need to take a few steps back and let Marinette be her own thing.” _

Aurore sighed. Yeah, this was going to be one of those long years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/17/2020 AN: Changed and fiddled around with the prologue so it would resemble Zipadeea's works less and bring things up to current canon as much as possible. Well, for this story anyways.
> 
> 11/19/2020 AN: Conducted further edits.


	2. 2: Another Day, Back at School...

Neither Aurore nor Marinette thought any more on the strange old man all day, not that they had time to as classes -even for the first day back- were especially hectic. And that wasn’t taking into account the company Marinette found herself keeping.

“Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” came a voice making Marinette sink in her seat.

Chloe Bourgeois, the so-called Queen Bee of the school and the one seemingly intent on making Marinette’s life a living hell for the past three, now going on four years it seemed like. How do I even begin to describe Chloé Bourgeois? Well, I suppose the term Alpha Bitch wouldn’t go amiss. Spoiled, petty, and actually fairly selfish at times -blame her daddy for that- being a character in Mean Girls would actually probably fit her pretty damn well.

“...Oh boy, here we go again…” Alix grumbled sitting atop the steps rummaging through a bag of chips. “Who ticked off daddy’s perfect little Princess?”

“I so wish I can handle Chloé the way you do,” Marinette said trying to block out the blond’s grating voice. “It’s like… well, like you don’t even care about her.”

“Duh, because I don’t,” Alix said with a roll of her eyes. “Let Daddy’s Little Princess ruin her own social life.”

“Out of the way Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe said. “You and your loser friends are blocking my light.”

“I don’t see a copyright on ‘the light’ that says it exclusively belongs to you,” Marinette said in a rare moment of courage. “...Really Chloe…” she sighed.  
“Move, just because you’ve grown a bit of a spine doesn’t mean you get to boss me around,” Chloe sneered flicking Marinette’s nose. “You may be cute, but that doesn’t get anyone anywhere.”

“Cute?” Alix mouthed in shock before muttering: “...even when you compliment someone it’s backhanded.”

“Power gets people everywhere,” Chloe remarked. “Not insecurity and sweetness. I'm just commanding a bit of respect, that's all.”

“Yeah, by being a bit of a brat,” Marinette said not sure why she was feeling this brave. Maybe because she knew Alix was nearby, or she knew Chloe couldn’t really do anything to hurt her. Probably. “Bratiness only gets people so far in the end as well.”

“What do you know?” Chloe asked. “Just because you were endorsed by Gabriel doesn’t mean a thing. In the end, you’re still just a poor baker’s daughter.”

“Hey, that’s going too far!” Alix snapped the entire courtyard slowly gaining an interest in the growing conversation. “You know perfectly why -like anybody else here- the reason Gabriel Agreste helped Marinette! So back off!”

“Ooooh, baker’s daughter can’t fight her own battles so her lackeys stick up for her?” Chloe said looking entirely disinterested in the conversation at hand by now. She was even having Sabrina do her nails. “How cute… and how entirely pathetic.”

Marinette sighed, as much as she loved Alix she could handle herself. Chloe, despite her bluster, was all bark in the end. And it helped, she was actually fairly scared of Ms. Bustier.

“She’s right you know,” Marinette admitted making both Alix and Chloe stare at her. “Let me handle Chloe, okay? I’ve dealt with her for years, and I can deal with her now.”

“You’re lucky I have better things to do than hang around and banter with you,” Chloe sniffed. “I have a friend coming to this school today, Adrien _ Agreste _-you know that name right Mari?- so everything must be perfect for him.”

“...who’s Adrien?” Marinette asked. Again, Chloe gaped. 

“You’re telling me you know who Gabriel is, and yet you don’t know who Adrien is?” Chloe asked. “Oh, now you must be joking. He’s in allllllllllll the papers. Of course, then again I’m not surprised. You do seem to live under a rock at times Mari.”

“Don’t call me Mari,” Marinette growled. “Only my friends get to call me that.”

“Bah,” Chloe said with a _ very _visible roll of her eyes. “In any event, he’s being transferred from Kingsworth International School over to here, our very only little Collège Françoise Dupont! Isn’t it a dream come true?”

“Oh yeah, I’ll bet it is,” Marinette remarked knowing Chloe was probably only in love with this Adrien because of the fame and the fortune, the gold digger. Rich kids had to stick together and all that. “Personally, I’ll judge him when I actually meet him okay?”

“Are you implying that I don’t know my Adrienkins, Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe asked with another gasp. Alix yawned in the background, this was really getting old. Chloe was like a broken record.

“That’s what it sounded like, yeah,” Alix deadpanned eager for Chloe to leave. “You have anyone else to bother with this, or you want to continue fawning over a guy who probably doesn’t even know you?”

“I’ll have you know me and Adrienkins have been friends since childhood!” Chloe said.

“Whoop-dee-do, so that means you’re both spoiled brats,” Alix said. “Wonderful.”

“I highly doubt Gabriel would allow his son to become like that,” Marinette said. “He’d reign him in. It wouldn’t do for the next in line of the family to behave unbecomingly.”

“WHEN DID YOU SUDDENLY SWITCH TO MY SIDE, DUPAIN-CHENG?” Chloe shouted in utter indignation. “...and for the record, you could at least acknowledge I’m here and stop pretending I’m not!”

“I’m not taking any sides,” Marinette said. “I’m just stating the facts as I see them.”

“Uh-huh,” Chloe said skeptically. “And I’m sure if you met him, the pauper that you are, you’d fawn all over him from the distance and making a fool of yourself in the process. I can see it now, you babbling: I'll invite him out for a fruit smoothie at the end of classes! Then, we'll get married! Live happily ever after in a beautiful house and have two kids? No, three. And a dog! Maybe a cat? Nah, forget the cat. A hamster! I love hamsters!”

Marinette gaped at Chloe’s overacting while Alix muttered: “So unrealistic.”

“I… I wouldn’t act like that!” Marinette stammered. “I have more class than that!”

“Uh-huh,” Chloe said skeptically. “Oh well, we’ll see who’s right when he gets here, eh? I’m not taking sides, but let’s just say I wouldn’t hold out hope…”

With that, she marched off heels clacking against the pavement. Alix gagged as soon as she’d left. “...Looks like it’s shaping up to be just another fabulous year doesn’t it?” she remarked.

“Well, we’ve survived Chloe for this long,” Marinette shrugged as the two made their way to their next class. “I think we can survive her for another year.”

“You’re an optimist, aren’t you?” Alix said. “If you say so, but with our luck, we’ll end up sorted with her in Lycée as well am I right?”

She let out a loud groan and looked skywards seemingly as if in a sort of prayer. “How do you do it Marinette, that girl can try the patience of a saint. Hell, I’m pretty sure she already has at one point or another,” Alix continued on her little rant. Marinette from past experience knew to just let her keep on going really. Let her burn herself out. “Seriously, she needs to drink both the ‘wake up call juice’ and the respect Marinette juice if you ask me. The girl doesn’t know what she’s missing!”

“Oh, I’m sure Chloe has a heart, somewhere… deep deep down,” Marinette admitted. “If this model she’s friends with is all she says he is, then I’m sure-”

“Sure what?” Alix answered. “Hell for all we know he may be drinking the ‘Chloe’ juice. Key word in your argument here Mari, Chloe says she’s friends with this Agreste kid. Okay, yeah, sure, his dear old daddy dearest probably reigned him in somewhat. But I’d hate to see his other friends, he probably has such a poor judge of character if he’s friends with _ Chloe. _Ugh.”

“See, now you’re just being rude, and judgemental,” Marinette chided. “You haven’t even met him yet.”

“Agh, you’re right as always Mari,” Alix grumbled in defeat. “See, this is why I’m friends with you. You always know exactly what to say and when. Good grief, you’re too good for this world at times you know that right?”

Marinette only nodded. Truth be told, she had to wonder if Alix wasn’t just friends with her out of pure guilt. They probably never would have paid each other the time of day if it hadn’t been for _ that _moment. Marinette would preferably have forgotten the whole thing really, had it not been for the simple fact that it made her the girl she was today.

_ People always remembered life-changing moments. It had been a Sunday, just after 1:00 in the afternoon. Marinette had been heading home, having gone to a nearby grocer’s just a few blocks away from the bakery. _

_ Alix had been there as well, and Marinette wasn’t entirely sure what caused her to move. She just did. _

_ “Look out!” she called, and Alix’s eyes widened as she heard the roar of the car and the powerful honk, earbuds dropping to the ground. Then she felt a force shove her out of the way, even as her life began to flash before her very eyes. _

_ A shout rang from across the street, her older brother Jalil and then it came. Oh god, the blood. Alix felt like she was going to throw up, but she steeled herself and tried very hard not to panic. _

_ “Just… Just stay still okay?” Jalil said. “Try not to move, an ambulance is on its way.” _

_ “It’s okay. M-Marinette is it?” Alix said with a panicked stammer not really knowing the girl all too well back then. “Y-You’ll be alright o-okay?” _

_ It was only after Jalil spoke did Marinette’s brain decide to register that she was struggling to move and that was causing her only even more pain. She did her best to follow the man’s instructions, as she heard the sound of a siren in the distance… _

After receiving some much-needed comfort and that surprise gift from Gabriel Agreste Marinette tried to move on with her life the best that she could. Crying about it would solve nothing, she had to be strong. Show the world that she was strong. This was one of the many reasons she hated to be confined to the house all day and undertook those little excursions that I mentioned before. It was her own way of rebelling against her fate, and to be honest if she was left alone with her thoughts for too long Marinette figured she’d probably turn into a sobbing wreck. No, that could not do.  
  
Besides, it wasn’t like she was completely helpless nor was it like she could do absolutely nothing. The fact of the matter was, she could still design to her heart’s content. And as I also mentioned before, she had a dream now. Create the best fashions for the disabled, not just those cheap half-hearted results you could buy off the rack at any clothing store. 

In any event, it did make her a friend for life in Alix even if Marinette did sometimes feel that both she and Aurore felt her weak and fragile. She hated that. Yes, she was confined to a chair now but that didn’t mean she was that much of a charity case. Not that she’d ever had the courage to tell either of them this of course. Marinette also sometimes felt that by mentioning this, she’d lose some of the only real friends she’d actually ever had.

“You’re not lost in thought again are you Marinette?” Alix asked in a concerned tone before it hardened. “Pleeeassse don’t tell me you’re putting on the self-pity act. Because I will not be joining you for that pity party bullshit. I just won’t.”

“Well, I uh…” Marinette started. “Listen, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m strong as an ox, see?” she asked flexing her arm.

“...That’s not what I meant and you know it…” Alix grumbled before she decided to leave the argument be… for now anyways. They would almost certainly continue this later! “Listen, just don’t push yourself, Mari, okay? Caught you going up that hill earlier this week, and really, what would happen if you fell over?”

“I’m not going to fall over, you know that Alix,” Marinette replied with a small sigh. “I’ve always been careful. We’ve had this argument before remember? I’m not a complete disaster zone. Don’t you think you’re just being that wee bit overprotective?”

“I’m your friend okay Mari?” Alix said with a sigh of her own remembering that yes they’d had this argument before and they’d probably have it again sometime in the future. “It’s pretty much my _ job _to worry about you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know… but still…” Marinette mumbled to herself knowing in some ways that arguing with the stubborn Kubdel was like arguing with a brick wall. It was futile. She then gave a friendly wave to a red-haired boy she knew well, sitting on a bench next to this girl Marinette could safely say she’d never seen before in her life. And if she had, she’d have certainly remembered her, what with that olive skin and frankly screaming orange jumper. Not to mention that _ very _well kept brown hair.

“Hey Nath!” Alix shouted. “Who’s the new girl, you finally get yourself a girlfriend or something?”

Nathaniel blushed as red as his hair as the girl giggled into her hand. He turned his attention back to his notepad, Alix and Marinette only able to guess what he was drawing this time. They often liked to joke that if he were a superhero, he’d be named ‘The Artist’. Not that they had reason, as Nathaniel was the fan favorite in art classes already. He really should have been drawing comic books or something for Marvel, what with his love of superheroes and all. It was just he was so shy, both Alix and Marinette worried Nathaniel wouldn’t ever break out of his shell. It had taken him a solid week just for him to speak up to Marinette at all, and it was obvious just by taking one look at her she couldn’t -or wouldn’t- hurt a fly!

“Oh, don’t embarrass the boy,” the girl said in this Italian accent that just oozed class with every word. “Nonna said it’s unbecoming.”

“Oh, you’re from Italy?” Marinette said as she rolled over to her. “I have a grandmother on my dad’s side who’s from there. Bit eccentric, but she’s totally cool. Off on a tour of the continent at the moment so I can’t see her as much as I’d like but… I know she loves me.”

“Oooooh, really?” the girl said with a small smile. “Meeting all the movers and shakers huh?”

“Well, I don’t know if I’d put it quite like that…” Marinette said rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. “She’s a bit of a free spirit actually, loves her motorcycle! ...Even if Dad really isn’t a fan.”

“Oh, so a biker girl huh? She sounds cool!” the Italian girl said in reply sounding genuinely interested. Marinette didn’t know why she was talking so readily with her, usually, the only people she bonded with this much near her own age were Aurore and Alix. “Name’s Lila, Lila Rossi. Just so you remember it.”

“Lila huh?” Alix asked in possible confusion. “Lie-La?”

“No, you…” Lila grumbled her face flaring up in a brief spot of anger before she recomposed herself. “Lila, like the lily flower and all that. You know?”

Lila had to suppress a groan, she didn’t even know why she was talking to these idiots. It wasn’t like they could take her places. Nathaniel, on the other hand, had potential. You’d had to have been blind to not recognize pure talent when you saw it. And Nathaniel had that potential. These two losers, on the other hand, were probably pure garbage, trash! But she had to stick close and hold her tongue. It was obvious by the way her normally shy new friend interacted with these two that they were friends. And if she wanted to keep Nathaniel by her side she had to play the nice innocent girl.

Mind you, Lila mused, she may have had to re-evaluate her opinion about this Marinette girl. She may have been a goody-two-shoes but if her grandma was every bit she said she was then, well! That just meant Marinette may have been able to take her places after all! You see, Lila Rossi had grown up with everything she had ever wanted, a mother in the Italian Embassy and always told she was a perfect treasure. That had bred a very bad attitude to say the least. Like Chloe in ways, she now believed she was entitled to everything… and just like Chloe as soon as someone became worthless she ditched them and threw them under the bus. However, unlike Chloe, Lila found it much easier to hide her mean streak. People never knew what hit them.

So, here she was. Una ragazza italiana in Pariggi, an Italian girl in Paris. 

“Ah, I see,” Alix said at last, nodding along. “Well, pleased to meet you Lie-La.”

“...I thought I said…” Lila groaned before Nathaniel spoke up again at last.

“Hey, leave her alone, Alix,” the normally shy boy said. “She’s just trying to be nice. No reason for you to…”

“It’s okay Nate, really!” Marinette said trying her best to defuse the situation. “You remember how Alix is, she just loves to give out nicknames to people as a helpful shorthand. You know, like calling me ‘Mari’ and all that!”

“R-Right…” Nathaniel said shrinking back into himself. “S-Sorry, I forgot about that. I don’t know what came over me…”

Lila patted his shoulder. “It’s okay Nathaniel. You were just looking out for me, like my own personal knight in shining armor. Super-Nathan, I guess you could say! Oh, a girl could really fall for someone with _ this _kind of treatment…”

Nathaniel blushed a bright red once more while Alix and Marinette shared a look. Yeah, it was definitely shaping up to be an interesting year…

\------------

“So, first day at school went well, I think,” Marinette remarked as she collected her things from her locker. “...I think. Not sure if Chloe ruined it or not yet.”

“Who’s Chloe?” Lila asked from behind her, making Marinette let out a yelp that nearly made her jump from her chair and go for the pepper spray. 

“GAH!” Marinette screamed. “Lila, don’t do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack! I could have used my pepper spray on you or something! God knows what could have happened!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lila said as she circled around leaning up against her own locker. She let out a faux gasp and pressed a hand to her chest. “Didn’t know your heart couldn’t take little old moi… Guess I’m just that special of a person then!”

“...Not funny,” Marinette muttered to herself. “Like, not one bit…”

“Wow, lighten up…” Lila said with a roll of her eyes Marinette seemingly missing the dark expression that crossed her face for a moment. “You really have no sense of humor, you know that right?”

“I… I have a sense of humor,” Marinette mumbled. “It’s… it’s just different than yours that’s all. Anyways, shouldn’t you be hanging around your boyfriend? You and Nathaniel looked awfully close…” 

Lila blushed a bright red. “Well… I… Uh…” she stammered out. “Is that really your business to pry?”

“He’s my friend, so yeah, it kinda is,” Marinette said. “I just don’t want to see him getting hurt, that’s all. N-Not that I’m implying you would ever hurt him Lila…”

“Awww, that’s sweet. Like it really is, you could give a puppy a run for their money in terms of pure cuteness. But really, me and Nathaniel are just friends, that’s all. Maybe we’ll be something more in the future, but…” Lila said playing with a rubber band with her fingers. “But for right now, I’ll just be his friend. Oh, woe is me right? My life is suffering, having to hang around a cute boy and be his friend…”

She and Marinette descended into giggle fits. Lila continued. “What about you then? You in the market for a cute boy? I’m sure I can find someone for you…”

“What? Me?” Marinette asked shyly playing with a lock of her hair. “...Nah, I’m not interested in boys right now.”

“Oh, so you swing for the other side of the fence?” Lila asked inwardly smirking on how much dirt this foolish girl was inadvertently using. One didn’t get to her position without knowing a little something on everyone. “That’s cool then, I’m not going to judge. Molto bene, actually. This means you’re pretty spoiled for choice in this school then. I mean, have you seen some of the girls here? Me included?” she asked in a faux whisper.

“WHAT!?!” Marinette squawked before she backed up as everyone looked at her. Marinette let out a nervous giggle at this, her face flushing an interesting shade of red. “...No. No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant I’m not interested in dating anyone right this minute. Yeah, that’s it!”

“Oh well, more for me then…” Lila shrugged with a small smile. “Life is suffering… Anyways, who’s this Chloe girl again? She sounds like trouble if you ask me.”

“She’s the worst, all plasticy and all high and mighty. Like, the absolute worst,” Marinette muttered with a resigned sigh. “I’ve been stuck with her for years, and as much as I want to believe she can get better…”

“Every year she finds a new low for herself to sink?” Lila asked sensing an opportunity here. “Yeah, I’ve been there. I had a girl at my old school who was like that, had everyone wrapped around her little finger. Believe me, there was nothing better for me than when mom moved me here to France. People like that, they don’t get ‘better’ Marinette. They just get worse. Take it from experience, okay?”

“...If you say so…” Marinette mumbled. 

“Trust me, us girls? We gotta stick together, alright?” Lila offering up a fist that Marinette nervously fistbumped in turn. Then came a sharp cackle.

“HAH!” Chloe said as she walked in and wrinkled her nose at Lila as if she’d just smelled something pretty disgusting. “Don’t stick to close to Dupain-Cheng for long, Rossi -is it?- as she’s more like poison ivy than roses. You’ll just get a rash from being near her.”

Truth be told, Chloe felt… threatened by Rossi more than anything else and directed that warning not just at her but at Marinette as well. She could tell the Italian was another Alpha Bitch just like her just by the way she looked at Marinette and the way she hung off people, and Chloe? She ruled this school, meaning only one person got the right to trash Dupain-Cheng. And that was her. Chloe would admit, she did admire the approach Lila was taking. It was real subtle, get close to Marinette and then break her heart.

_ “Ride her coattails of fame, and when the time comes, just jump off the Dupain-Cheng train and go for another,” _ Chloe thought knowing despite how much she ragged on Dupain-Cheng the girl could really go places if she really set her mind to it. Chloe hadn’t missed her off in the corner sketching designs when she thought nobody was watching. _ “If I wasn’t threatened by her, I’d probably be in admiration at how low she’s willing to sink. She takes bitchery to a whole new level.” _

“So you must be Chloe, yeah I thought I smelled something foul,” Lila said as Chloe circled around her like a predator stalking her prey. “Must be that cheap perfume.”

“Ooooh, nice comeback. You think of that one all period?” Chloe sneered. “Please, I’ve heard better remarks from Dupain-Cheng for Pete’s sake.”

“Leave her alone Chloe,” Marinette hissed out. “She’s done nothing to you!”

“I know,” Chloe smirked as she looked in her hand mirror for a brief moment before pocketing it. “That’s exactly why I’m liking it. In this school… I rule. Girl’s gotta assert her authority somehow right?”

“I find it hard to believe anyone would follow you…” Lila sneered. “Not with that plastic face of yours.”

“You planning to break it?” Chloe asked. “Because I can have Daddy-Kins arrest you for assaulting the Mayor’s daughter? Oh, did Dupain-Cheng not mention? Shame on her then! See, my daddy’s the mayor. Meaning… I get what I want. I _ always _get what I want.”

“So, you’re a professional brown noser then,” Lila snarked the rest of the locker room now watching in interest at who was going to make the next move. “Why am I not surprised? Oh well, that’s politics I suppose. Kissing up to whoever you like. Okay, I stand corrected, it’s not the cheap perfume I smell…”

That did it.

“HOW DARE YOU!?!” Chloe screeched before she took a few deep calming breaths. “I hope you realize you’re close to firing one too many shots for your own good…”

“Oh, so you’re declaring war then?” Lila snarked. “Who’s your second general then? It’s not your friend is it?” she asked peering over at Sabrina.

“If I must back Chloe up, I shall,” Sabrina said adjusting her glasses in offense. “That’s the way it’s always been for us. We've been doing this ever since grade school when I started doing Chloé's homework, and we've been BFFs ever since!”

“...I don’t even…” Lila stammered out. “...wow, you are something else Bourgeois. I don’t know whether to laugh or just shake my head in pity.”

Marinette meanwhile had decided to take her leave before things got ugly. Not that she minded someone sticking up for her and wrangling Chloe but she _ really _didn’t want to stick around and see hair getting pulled out. She heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind her and turned to see Lila backing out of the locker room. 

“...wow, you sure showed Chloe a thing or two,” Marinette said. “I thought you two were going to start punching each other back there…”

“Like I said, I really hate girls like her,” the Italian grumbled in disgust obviously avoiding mentioning the fact that the reason she hated girls like Chloe was that they were a threat to her own power base. Lila laughed. “But Chloe? Punching me? I don’t think that brat’s ever thrown a punch in her own life! Not unless she wants to ruin her nails!”

“Shame really,” Aurore said as she walked up, her backpack slung around her back. “I would pay to see someone really do that to Chloe. I’m surprised I just haven’t done it first.”

“I thought you wanted to avoid getting arrested for assault?” Marinette said. 

“Yeah, but it’s still tempting…” Aurore sighed. “Oh, who’s the new girl?”

“Aurore, Lila,” Marinette introduced. “Lila Rossi, meet my best friend Aurore Beauréal.”

“Like Borealis?” Lila quirked an eyebrow. “...That’s… That’s certainly something.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure my parents thought it’d be pretty funny, both of them are Meteorologists at the University of Paris so… Uh, yeah… There you go,” Aurore laughed sheepishly. “Pleasure to meet you. I assume you’ve already met Marinette’s other friends, Alix and Nathaniel?”

“Oh, you mean Super-Nathan?” Lila asked and Aurore stared at her. “...sorry, pet name.”

“...and she says she’s not interested in him as a potential boyfriend…” Marinette deadpanned. “Totally tsundere!”

Aurore laughed all the way out of the school, the three decided to split up and catch each other later. Marinette eventually found herself in her room, once again sketching out her dream designs. She then heard a soft ‘thunk’ sound and looked to the floor to see an odd octagonal-shaped box only just large enough for a brooch or something. Maybe a pair of earrings. 

What she did _ not _expect however was for the box to light up with a soft warm purple glow before an orb floated it out of it. It glowed brightly almost like a miniature sun forcing Marinette to shield her eyes before the glow finally fading revealing what looked to be a small fairy of some sort.

“...Um, hello?” Nooroo asked gently. “...Are you my new Master? Master Fu told me I’d be getting a new one but-ACK!”

An assortment of pillows was soon thrown in his face as Marinette let out a little screech of: “Bug-mouse! Ah, Bug-mouse talks!”

Marinette picked up a small fly-swatter even as Nooroo floated around the room before finally sitting himself on her bed. He almost looked sorta cute from this angle, Marinette thought to herself. Almost like a little plush toy.

“...I’m a Kwami,” Nooroo said as he floated up to Marinette and bowed. “Pleased to meet you, Master. I’m called Nooroo, the Kwami of Butterflies and Transmission.”

“...A what now?” Marinette asked in confusion.

“A god, to you,” Nooroo said and Marinette blinked. “...Oh, I’m sorry, was that too forwards of me?”

Eventually, after babbling several nonsensical sentences Marinette scooped up Nooroo in a hug and cuddled him close to her cheek saying: “Oh, you’re so cute! You’re like a little plush toy!”

Nooroo could only sweatdrop wondering how she’d take the superhero part of his mission if she thought a little god like him was ‘cute’. Not that he really _ minded, _of course, but this was still going to take some getting used to. Tikki or Xuppu were generally more cut out for the hyperactive ones, not him!

Finally, Marinette released him and asked: “Who’s this Master Fu again?”

“Oh, the Guardian of the Miraculous!” Nooroo said doing several small flips and pirouettes in mid-air. “He sent me here, to you, Marinette so that you may become the next Papillion!”

Marinette went dead silent at this. _ “Oh dear, did I break her? ...was that too forwards of me? ...How does Tikki do it?” _

This was going to be one of those days, Nooroo decided then and there. Oh well, it could have been worse. He could have wound up in the hands of an absolute villain!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so Lila's here now. You may grit your teeth when ready.
> 
> Basically, what I'm planning with her is a whole load of dramatic irony. We know she's a lying slug, and Chloe does, but Marinette and company don't. And because of Chloe's... approach, all she'll end up doing is push Marinette further into Lila's camp. Irony.
> 
> And yeah, sorry, no Adrien yet but I promise I'll get to him soon. Hoo boy, this chapter was fun to write, as I know absolutely nothing about the French schooling system. Lovely. And yeah, Lila's one-sided crush -if you can call it that- on Nathaniel? Totally a reference to TomatoFox.


	3. 3: Code P... for Pigeon

Marinette really didn’t know what to think about all of this really, she had a god in her house. An actual friggin' honest to god… well, god! Yeah, this was going to take some getting used to, for sure. Was he going to smite her for even saying something that could remotely be considered offensive? Marinette didn’t even have a mean bone in her body, and Nooroo looked to be a gentle little thing but you never knew after all. OH GOD, was he going to smite her for cuddling the little sprite like a plush toy? OH GOD, she cuddled a god like he was a plush toy!

_ “Okay, deep breaths Marinette, deep breaths. Very deep breaths,” _ Marinette decided as she grabbed a brown bag and began huffing and puffing into it. Little did she know Nooroo was watching with a small sweatdrop on his face. _ “Nooroo surely isn’t going to just strike you down with a lightning bolt just for cuddling like some stuffed toy. He looks harmless! He’s just a cute little butterfly… right? A CUTE LITTLE BUTTERFLY THAT OH YES, JUST HAPPENS TO BE A GOD! HI, I’M A GOD, MAYBE ‘THE’ GOD WHO HAPPENS TO LOOK LIKE A BUTTERFLY! YOU JUST DON’T GO AHEAD AND MENTION THAT CASUALLY! LIKE, HOW YOU DO, I’M A GOD!” _

Eventually, Marinette calmed down to stop screaming to herself and generally freaking out. Regaining her composure, she took several more deep breaths before slamming her face into a pillow and muttering: “Oh, I’m so doomed…”  
  
...so, okay, maybe she hadn’t stopped freaking out after all.

“Um… Master?” Nooroo asked softly, nestling himself in Marinette’s dark blue hair. Marinette squeaked out in fear, oh gods an actual god was in her room and making a nest out of her hair! Please lord, be merciful to her! “...I’m… I’m not going to harm you. I don’t even know how I could, Kwamis are forbidden to even bring to harm their masters!”

He chastised himself, what if Marinette was putting up a front? What if she was secretly a sociopath? Should he really have revealed such precious information? He then remembered Marinette was far more scared of _ him _than he was of her. Plus, Master Fu had chosen her directly and the Guardian never made mistakes. Okay, yeah, Marinette didn’t have a mean bone in her body, and from the looks of things, Nooroo needed to start building an actual bridge of trust here. 

“...Really?” Marinette asked nervously, her voice barely higher than a whimper as she looked back at him. Nooroo nodded gently, nuzzling his head against her cheek. “...well, I suppose if you were going to smite me for my transgressions you would have done it already…”

“S-Smite you?” Nooroo stammered out looking absolutely horrified at the sheer thought. “Oh, no no! I’d never even dare to dream of such a thing. It’s against the rules of the Kwami Magic to bring harm to one’s master, no matter how foul or just plain horrible they may seem!”

Nooroo neglected to mention certain loopholes, just in case a kwami did get an absolutely horrible master for whatever reason. Kwamis certainly couldn’t bring _ direct _harm to their masters sure. But there were other solutions. Kwamis could trick their masters certainly, and eventually the magic would stop working or be not as powerful if the master mistreated the kwami or misused their magic for evil purposes. This was one reason, in the prime timeline, Gabriel’s luck eventually started to work against him creating absolutely horribly thought-out villains like Gigantitan or ones dangerous to even himself like Chat Blanc. It was a warning to him.

“So… so why are you here then?” Marinette asked carefully. “I’m not special or powerful or famous or anything like that. I’m just an ordinary French girl living above her parent’s bakery, in a wheelchair!”

“Ah, but you see, that’s exactly _ why _the Great Guardian chose you!” Nooroo said. “It’s because you’re so ordinary!”

“...Yeah, that’s real encouraging.” Marinette said in a low mumble. Nooroo facepalmed, he could have phrased that better.

“What I mean is,” Nooroo started. “You don’t have any real lust for power, and you know what it’s life for the ordinary person. Blue-collar, to borrow an American turn of phrase. You’d make a perfect Butterfly Hero, to make champions to fight for what’s right!”

“A… Um…. I… Gah… Um… WHAT!?!” Marinette shouted before quickly changing to her voice to a whisper, hoping her parents hadn’t heard. Hopefully, they just thought she was talking to someone like Aurore. “...W-What do you mean a Butterfly Hero?”

“Exactly what you think I mean, Master,” Nooroo said with a small bow. Or was that a curtsy? Could gods even curtsy? “The Butterfly Miraculous has always been used to create temporary heroes, champions to fight for what’s right. Tengus, in Japanese myth, if you want.”

“Wait, you’re saying I can create _ actual _honest to god superheroes?” Marinette whispered after picking her jaw up off the floor. “Like, heroes like Majestia and them?”

“Yes, exactly,” Nooroo said with a nod. “All you need to do is send out butterflies, find someone with a strong enough emotion and there you have it Master. A champion to fight directly for you, never wavering until either the possessed object is destroyed or you relinquish their power.” 

Marinette by this point was nodding to and hanging onto every word Nooroo said before she picked up on something. “Possessed object? You mean, like I’m possessing people! ...why didn’t you mention this before? I’m not just going to go around and possess people!” she hissed out.

“You’re not, not really!” Nooroo said. “Let me explain! They only do your will, carry it out. Their minds are their own. All you really do is give them superpowers and a costume to match.”

“Oh… Oh, I see,” Marinette mumbled feeling rather ashamed of herself for trying to correct the god. “...Never mind, forget I said anything.”

Nooroo frowned, Marinette was much more of… oh, what did they call it? A shrinking violet? Yeah, that was it. She was much more of a shrinking violet then he would have liked. Butterflies had to be commanders, strong and sure of themselves. Marinette was anything but that. Again, he frowned. Surely Master Fu hadn’t made a mistake after all? No, he said. This was what the Master would have wanted. In fact, he gave Nooroo a mission, clearly! If Nooroo was assigned this girl, then it was his job to turn her around, make her grow into a stronger and better person. He looked around the room, sketches of various outfits covered the girl’s walls. So, she wanted to be a fashion designer? Well, at her current level of confidence the industry would eat her alive! Yes, he definitely knew his mission now. She would have to be strong but gentle. A firm hand, but a kind one as well. He could do this, no he _ had _to do this.

“...especially now that poor Duusu is in the hands of the enemy…” Nooroo muttered to himself before he realized he hadn’t exactly gone unheard.

“Duusu, who’s Duusu?” Marinette asked. “Are they another Kwami like you? Are they in trouble?”

“Oh yes, very much so! A few months ago, the Great Guardian’s house was broken into, someone stole the Peacock Miraculous, and now someone can create sentimonsters! It’s horrible, horrible!” Nooroo panicked before he regained his composure, wet snot and hot tears covering his face. “That’s why the Guardian sent me to you, to help recover my sister. Oh by the Makers, I daren’t think how she’s being treated!”

Marinette’s heart broke at the sheer sight, the little butterfly sprite crying his heart out in front of her and her heart broke even further at the thought of someone like him being mistreated in any way. Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me, what do I have to do?” she asked.

“Good and evil, there must always be a balance, yin and yang. Creation and destruction.” Nooroo said. “Now, with Duusu in the hands of someone who’ll surely use her powers for evil intent, the balance has been thrown out of whack. I don’t know when, or where but a sentimonster _ will _appear. We must be ready. First things first, you must know how to use your powers. Each hero, they always have a transformation phrase.”

“Like in Magical Girl anime?” Marinette asked.

“Yes, exactly like that. If you like,” Nooroo said with a small nod before mumbling: “...In fact, I think Naoko Takeuchi was a holder of the Ladybug… Most great creators were…”

Marinette’s brain would need time to process that information later. “So… Um…” She stammered out. “W-What’s mine?”

“Dark Wings, Rise. Bit of a leftover from when I was thought to be a moth,” he said with a snort. “The nerve of some people, just because we belong to the same order doesn’t mean we’re all…”

Ignoring Nooroo’s mutterings, Marinette nodded to herself and placed the brooch upon her shirt before saying: “Nooroo, Dark Wings, rise!”

“Wait, I haven’t finished explaining everrrrrrrrrryyyyy…” Nooroo called before he was sucked inside and Marinette’s outfit completely changed. Gone were her regular clothes, and now she wore a nice button-up jacket with coattails, two strands of her hair popping up like antenna. In her hand was a cane, a glass orb as its grip.

“...Um, okay… wow…” Marinette said looking at her hands, now covered in gloves. And were those stockings on her legs? “...who says you can’t be a hero and look nice while doing it?”

If Nooroo could have, he would have facepalmed. What had he gotten himself dragged into?

\------------

Lila smirked to herself as she walked her way home, she had no intentions whatsoever on keeping her appointment with Marinette and that Beauréal girl. She could just later think up some excuse to say to them later. She was good enough at them by now anyways. Lying simply came naturally to her by this point, it was basically second nature. 

Lila honestly couldn’t believe she had to actually associate with that Beauréal girl really, it was completely insane. She was just too damn plain for her own good, and the only reason Marinette probably hadn’t dumped to the curb was because she probably felt sorry for her, or needed a shoulder to cry on about her ‘problems’ in life. As if there could possibly be any other reason. Lila didn’t see people as people, more like tools to use or stepping stones to achieve greater heights. And Lila had vision, that much was true. Love her or hate her, Lila had plenty of ambition.

_ “Agreste…” _ she frowned as she looked at a nearby poster of a blond-haired boy smiling like the sunshine, a bottle of perfume displayed next to him. _ “Now, if Gabriel had any sense, he’d pick up Marinette for her talent, because apparently if what Nathaniel says is true, she’s got a possible career ahead of her. Could be just teenage boy embellishments, who knows. I’ll have to keep an eye on her just to be sure. Still, I do have to admire the loyalty he has to his friend. Makes one wonder what Marinette did for him? Does she feel sorry for him, or am I mistaken and losers just have to stick together. Or maybe she’s just stringing him along for some reason.” _

Lila rejected that last possibility as soon as it came, no Marinette was both too nice and far too stupid to do that. The first two possibilities were more likely. Granted, with Marinette’s natural… well, Lila wasn’t sure if she’d call it charisma or not given how shy Marinette seemed to be. With her natural charm she probably more likely just for some reason became friends with Nathaniel. He was cute, and he could probably go places if he really set his mind to it. Maybe that was it, maybe she liked friends in high places as well. But if that was the case, it didn’t explain the skater girl and the weather girl. Alix’s only claim to fame was apparently her brother working at the Louvre -unless there was something she wasn’t telling the world about her family- and the less said about Beauréal the better really.

Lila fingered the brooch in her pocket, she really hadn’t touched it since the day she got it except to wear it as a fashion statement -it attracted all the cute boys- and yet all the same… She couldn’t help but think of it. This was definitely not your average brooch to say the least. After all, how many brooches could you say housed a miniature god? Yeah, this requires a bit of backstory.

_ Flash back only a few months or so ago, back to when Lila had only just arrived in Paris. Her mother was working at the Italian Embassy, and Lila was fairly lonely as being a new kid from a foreign country didn’t really put you in the best spot for friends. Well, at least until Lila started bragging -as she always did- about knowing people in high places. Soon, everybody wanted to be her friend. Okay, yes, at first Lila just wanted someone to spend time with, as she really was that lonely. But then, as she lied, she found she liked it actually. So what if she didn’t really know these people, the idiots she talked to didn’t know better! _

_ It was a rainy, and really rather cold winter’s day, and Lila found herself walking home to her mother’s house tugging her jacket closer to herself. _

_ “Young miss,” came a voice from behind her and Lila nearly jumped when she saw an older man behind her, a jade bracelet wrapped around his wrist. “It’s rather late, and you could catch a cold.” _

_ “So? I may not, and it’s still just a…” Lila trailed off when she realized she was indeed lost. She grumbled to herself, damn her and her need to be independent for once. She didn’t need to take the bus home, Paris was easy enough to navigate. Or, at least that’s what she thought before today. _

_ “Few blocks to your house?” the older man asked gently raising an eyebrow before he sighed. “Kids today, at times you think you can do everything on your own. Here, walk with me.” _

_ Lila didn’t entirely know why but she found herself at the old man’s home, the Chinese gentlemen pouring her some tea while he looked for a phone. Lila had given him her mother’s phone number and now found herself sitting on a mat inside a massage parlor of all places. Well, she supposed everyone had to have a hobby. Scrolls hang on every other wall, surely dispensing ancient Chinese secrets and wisdom. A gramophone of all things sat on a nearby table. Well, Lila supposed, the guy owning the place was certainly old enough to even know what one was. _

_ Looking out, one could see the Seine on a clear sunny day, needless to say, which today was not. Lila shuddered in disgust, here she moved from sunny Rome to rainy Paris. What a lovely change she thought with no small amount of sarcasm and a grimace. Looking to her left, she saw a framed picture of an older woman, probably the man’s wife. Lila didn’t have to guess why she wasn’t around. _

_ “Drat!” she heard Fu mutter from the next room over. “She’s not picking up…” _

_ He came back into the room. “Your mother must be worried sick, I can’t reach her phone at all. She’s probably calling everyone she knows in order to find you. Being the daughter of a diplomat -if what you say is correct- I wouldn’t entirely blame her. There could be far more dangerous possibilities about what happened to you then you winding up lost and ending up in an old man’s massage parlor.” _

_ “Might want to think about rewording that, just in case,” Lila drawled. “Just sayin…” _

_ “Oh rest assured, young miss, every one of my neighbors can vouch for me,” Fu said calmly. “I’m hardly dangerous to anyone,” he said with a smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Lila swore she saw something small and green dart into the next room. _

_ “Big house flies…” she uttered. Fu looked at her in confusion and bewilderment. “...sorry, I thought I saw some big green… bug thing flying about. May have just been my imagination getting the better of me… he-he…” _

_ Master Fu then looked at the nearby room and walked over picking up what seemed to be a small plush green turtle that had fallen. “I apologize,” he said at Lila’s inquiring look. “I had my granddaughter over one day, and she must have forgotten this. I’ll bring it back over to her when the weather clears up. Me and my brittle old bones aren’t a fan of winter weather sadly… And it used to be so beautiful back in China…” _

_ As Fu continued talking to himself and reminiscing, Lila spotted something else and her eyes gleamed with desire. A beautiful broach, resembling a peacock’s massive fail feathers sitting out seemingly to be dusted off. Lila suspected Fu had probably forgotten it was even there given the seeming carelessness it had been given. When nobody was watching, she pocketed it. Then she heard the doorbell jingle and saw her mother walk in, soaking wet from the cold rain. “Cara Lila, non devi davvero preoccupare tua madre.” she scolded and whispered a few thank yous to Fu. _

_ Fu smiled as Lila was led outside, under an expensive umbrella and into the car. Later that night, Lila found herself in her room unable to sleep. Her mind kept thinking about that strange brooch and she walked up to her dresser where it had been stored. Looking at it, Lila suddenly let out a sharp yelp -thankfully it going unheard by the rest of the house- when in front of her appeared a peacock-like creature, a wonderful shade of royal blue and with big and rather curious eyes. _

_ “M-Master?” the creature asked in a surprisingly feminine tone before her eyes narrowed and she let out a growl. “...You’re not Master!” _

_ “Yes, but I was given to you by your Master,” Lila whispered to her just feeling the power coming off this creature and automatically wondering how she could use it for her own ends. “But just refresh me, what are you?” _

_ Lila’s eyes went wide and they could only grow wider as Duusu -for that was her name- regaled her with tales of little gods, heroes and villains and the balance between good and evil. Her head was nearly spinning by the end of the kwami’s tales about information about these magical jewels and the abilities they carried. Finally, she thought to herself as she learned of the Familiars as Duusu termed them, she had a way to step out from her mother’s shadow and become her own woman. Lila wasn’t a complete sociopath, a high functioning one to be more accurate. She had also been constantly told about how she was going to be a great woman by her mother back when she was a child, groomed to perfect and given only the greatest of gifts. All of this had left the young Rossi with quite the ego and as she never wanted to be just her mother’s daughter, it was only a matter of time before Lila Rossi reached a tipping point… _

_ And so now, she got a chance to truly spread her feathers… _

Back in the present, Lila grimaced as she thought of her past. She knew the power this ‘Miraculous’ possessed and it truly was such a thing. Nobody else in the world, except those with other Miraculous, possessed such powers and therefore only they were on Lila’s level. But how exactly to get in touch with them? Well, if this Fu truly was a guardian he probably handed out other Miraculous to those who deserved them. And what better way to get to know the other Miraculous users and drawing them out than by creating a threat for them to fight. Giving Paris a supervillain? 

Lila ducked inside an old church, running up the top of the steps until she reached a belltower that overlooked the rest of the city. “Duusu?” she asked her facial features twisting into a truly ugly grimace. “Please come here, sweetie.”

“Master?” Duusu asked as she appeared. “...why have you called me?”

“Well, the way I see it, the only way for an Italian girl in Paris to get a little recognition and not be that weird kid from another country is to make a name for herself. Why not get to know the other Miraculous Holders?” Lila pondered. 

“But Master?” Duusu asked. “How do you even know where the others are…? You don’t do you?”

“Not really,” Lila shrugged, ignoring the look of abject shock on Duusu’s features. The highly emotional kwami was now letting out gallons of tears upon realizing what kind of master she was now confined to. “But I know how to make them come. Duusu, Spread My Feathers!”

With a flick of the hair, Lila smirked as Duusu was sucked inside her brooch and Lila gained a long flowing gossamer gown or coat covered in peacock feather designs. A hood was drawn over her head, hiding the dark expression on Lila’s face as she lifted up a bright blue feather and kissed it. “The time has come for us to find our first victim, my wicked little amoks. And to prey upon the soon to be heroes of this city. I must meet them!”

Then she looked for emotions, despair to turn into physical form. She didn’t have long to wait. Down below, Mr. Ramier was feeding his pigeons.

“Well, happy day, happy day! Splendid is the afternoon day. Ah, Edgar, you fancy one. Fantastic, dazzling performance!” he said even as Sabrina’s father Roger walked up with an unamused expression on his face sending the pigeons flying as he shooed them away with his truncheon.

“Scram, you winged rats! How many times do you need to be told, Mr. Ramier? NO! FEEDING! The pigeons! It’s strictly forbidden. If everyone feeds them, they’ll leave their waste everywhere!” he shouted at the suit -and somewhat bird resembling- man. “All the park keepers know about you, Mr. Ramier. You’re banned from every park in Paris. Leave now or I’ll call the authorities. Oh, wait. I’m the authorities. GET OUT!”

Roger admitted to himself probably could have handled that better, watching the man slink sadly away head hung. But he’d had a long day, and it was hot and sticky plus Mr. Ramier never quite seemed to get the memo that feeding the pigeons was strictly forbidden.

He blinked, was that a peacock feather floating towards Ramier’s hat? ...Maybe it was just his imagination, the sun was probably making him see things. They were nowhere near the Parc Zoologique de Paris. So why would there be…? “Oh my word…” Roger said as he watched what happened next. “...so, how am I supposed to call this one in?”

Lila had to gape at what came next. Surely she had to be seeing things. Now flying above in the sky was… well, there was no other way around it. It was a massive pigeon. Well then, she supposed that was one way to bring out the heroes, one unnaturally sized winged rat. Pigeonzilla really. Yeah… yeah, this was fine. 

“Uh, headquarters?” Roger asked into his walkie-talkie finally recovering his senses. The way he was figuring it, it was better to be laughed at having called this… well, whatever this was in instead of not calling it in and being laughed at for failing to do anything. “Yeah, I’m not sure what piece of police procedure this falls under. ...Uh, look, can I just have some backup? Or maybe a truckload of birdseed and a giant net?”

To herself, Lila muttered: “Yeah, this… this is fine.” not sounding entirely convinced. What a way to start her supervillain career! A pigeon, of all things! Someone up above just _ had _to laughing at her!

\------------

Adrien Agreste could say he had it good enough, he supposed. His father despite his many flaws, well he honestly tried to raise him the best that he could. Adrien would admit at times he did feel a bit sheltered but his father only wanted the best for him. He sent him to the best schools in Paris, and had provided him with his own personal butler.

Still, at times the young Agreste would admit he wondered if he was just following in his father’s footsteps or was he ever really living? He didn’t know. Right now, he just felt as if he was just going through the motions today. He forced himself to keep a smile even as his regular photographer Vincent Vanclaude snapped photo after photo. “Bravo! That's it! Give me the smile when your mom brings in spaghetti! Okay! And now, Oh no! Mama dropped the spaghetti! And now, you have to eat the spaghetti off the floor! Oh yes, you're angry! Show me angry, yes, yes, yes!” Vincent called out at various points. Adrien did have to wonder what it was with him and spaghetti.

_ “...maybe it’s an Italian thing…” _he pondered. Meanwhile, Vincent had noticed Adrien’s expression slipping.

“Oh no, no! The boy has eaten too much spaghetti! Ugh, we need more energy! More romance! We need…” Vincent started before he blinked as a shadow covered the park. “...we need a giant pigeon?”

Adrien blinked. Had he heard that right? Then he looked up and blinked again. Was that a giant pigeon? Apparently, yes… yes, it was because there ‘it’ was flying above the skyline of Paris. Maybe this was all one very big fever dream Adrien would wake up from eventually. It had to be. It just had to be. Things like this didn’t just… happen, did they? But apparently they did. 

“Stop the pigeon…” Adrien muttered to himself vaguely remembering an old cartoon he’d watched once. Yeah, this was apparently a thing now. Yeah, this was definitely a thing. “...should… should we uh, get to cover or something? I’d rather not be dive-bombed or hit by pigeon dirt.” 

Well, at least today was no longer a boring one he mused as nearby massive trucks filled to the brim with birdseed drove by and Vincent babbled into his phone: “Yes, yes? Is this the police? Can you page me through to the army? I’d like to report Pigeonzilla! No, I’m not a nut! Mama Mia…”

He then fainted dead away from pure shock collapsing up against his camera which fell to the grass with a clatter. Sirens wailed in the background and a police car drove by, Roger at the wheel in hot pursuit of Pigeonzilla. Adrien felt a strange surge go through him as he looked around. Nobody seemed to know what to do really, and the people deserved to know what was happening. The Agrestes had been known for years for their benefactory, and Adrien decided then and there to continue that. He was no reporter, but he could probably learn to pick some things up on the fly. Breaking off into a sprint, he went for his phone and turned it on. Going to his car, he said to his butler: “Follow that… well, follow that pigeon!” and the chase was on.

Speaking of chases, Roger raced around the city to find Mr. Ramier. He was no fool. He may not have been the best cop on the force but even he could connect the dots between this giant pigeon appearing and him telling off Mr. Ramier. While he doubted Ramier was any supervillain, he just knew there had to be a connection and that strange feather may have been involved. _ “All of Paris, and I can’t find one man dressed up sorta like a bird!” _ he thought as he dodged and weaved through traffic before he heard a crunch as he accidentally rammed his car into a light post. With a ‘poof!’ the airbag exploded in his face. _ “Great… just great.” _

Adrien for his part had several theories as for what exactly was going on, and all of them led back to one thing. A supervillain. Maybe some mad scientist cooked this creature up in his lab -Chloe said he read too many comic books, who was laughing now?- or maybe a pigeon fell in some radiation. But the way he figured it, if there was a supervillain afoot then there had to be a superhero close behind. His eyes widened as he glanced out a car window and saw a yellow blur leaping from rooftop to rooftop. _ “Wow… I was right! I was right! An honest to god superhero!” _

Adrien Agreste didn’t know it yet, but he was about to be dragged into a whole new world as across the city Marinette -who still had yet to decide upon her codename- looked upon the chaos in shock. “Oh… Oh… dear god, what am I supposed to do? This was never in the manual. Was there even a manual? Oh, I should have listened to Nooroo! Now I have to protect the city without all of the facts like a complete moronasaur!” she babbled to herself before she took a few deep calming breaths and blew into a bag. _ “Think Mari? What… what did Nooroo say? He was the Kwami of Transmission right? That’s gotta help somehow, right? He creates heroes with… no, you create heroes with your powers. Okay then, let’s see if we can find a suitable candidate! Can’t be that hard, right?” _

Emotions seemed to flare up all over Paris, and Marinette didn’t quite know how but she felt them. Shock, fear, wonder, surprise and… guilt? A strong sense of guilt, and someone wanting to repent. Yeah, this would do for now, she thought hurriedly to herself. A white butterfly fluttered around her, and Marinette remembered that some of the plants on her rooftop attracted them. It fluttered up to her, and Marinette realized. Of course, a butterfly kwami would use butterflies in relation to his powers. Kissing it, she sent it out and whispered: “...go on little butterfly, and find me that hero.”

Then, she felt it as her mind met another’s, and she said: _ “Rogercop, I am… I am Papillion. Yeah, that’s it. Call me Papillion. D-Don’t be alarmed, there’s nothing to be afraid of. This city needs a true ruthless righter of wrongs, and that is where you come in. Justice will prevail in the streets of Paris.” _

Roger nodded and said: “Yes ma’am! Code P… for Pigeon!” before he and his car were transformed. Marinette meanwhile, never noticed one of the ‘wings’ on her brooch beginning to fold up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Um... Yeah. Pigeonzilla, and Rogercop. Because why not? Rogercop was always one of my favorite early episodes, seriously that was a cool car Roger got. And Mr. Pigeon. Just... Mr. Pigeon. Clearly someone was playing Hatoful Boyfriend and watching too much Birdemic at some point during that whole episode's conceiving. Nothing wrong with an episode that's silly and well aware of it.
> 
> But yeah... Lila's beyond nuts. No surprise there. And before you say anything about her getting the Peacock waaaaaaaaayy too easily, just remember, Master Fu is only human. And without a Hawkmoth to worry about here, he's probably dropped his guard a bit. So yeah, it's entirely possible he could leave a Miraculous out in the open by accident. Also, Adrien taking Alya's place storywise is totes a nod to Ladybug and Reine Nuit. Interesting take on things, I think.


	4. 4: The Butterfly and the Bee

Adrien didn’t know why he was running _ towards _the giant monster. Most normal people ran away from things like this. Yeah, he had a suspicion, a nagging one at the corner of his brain but it was still just a suspicion. It didn’t really justify running towards Pigeonzilla -for lack of a better name- like a complete and utter idiot with phone in hand. Since when did he gain a distinct sense -or lack of- of self-preservation? This was just crazy!

All the same though, Adrien’s hand drifted to the ‘record’ button on his phone and went live as he continued covering the giant creature for the masses. Did Nadja Chamack -the woman who was always saying: “Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news.”- go through this much anxiety when recording something? Then again, Nadja didn’t exactly go into what felt like war zones, and that was probably an apt comparison for this entire thing. Because there on the other side of the street was several police officers firing at the creature. Adrien’s breath caught in his throat, this was crazy he told himself for not the first time that afternoon. So that begged the question, why was he still there?

He asked himself this yet again when the pigeon -if it weren’t so large with a beak sharpened to a point like a razor, Adrien might have laughed- turned to look at its attackers. It gave them a dismissive look and with a powerful gust of wind that forced Adrien back, it launched itself upwards. Adrien was shoved against the wall of a building and looked up at the poster nearby, displaying one of the perfume ads with his face plastered all over Paris. “...what are you smiling at?” Adrien muttered to his poster self. “...come on hypothetical superhero, show up already…”

And so Adrien ran off once again, towards the monster phone still in hand. “Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news, and sorry Nadja if you have that phrase copyrighted or something. I’m still new at this, so cut a guy a break okay? So, yeah… Paris, threatened by a giant pigeon of all things. Can’t say I was expecting this. Hi, my name’s Adrien Agreste and despite possibly fearing for my life, I intend to bring you news on the hour and updates as they come. Also speculations. Where did this pigeon come from, did it fall in a dump of radioactive waste or did some mad scientist cook it up in his lab? The public does want answers. If any of you have any information as to what might have happened, please send your speculations to my phone number.”

In hindsight, Adrien wondered if that was such a good idea given he may get all the crazies including fangirls -_ especially _ the fangirls- calling his home phone at all hours of the day. But he wanted to see the person behind… well, whatever this was held accountable. Adrien knew right then and there he’d never felt more _ alive. _Yeah, sure, his father was… acceptable but he could be dangerously overprotective at times and restrictive. He wanted the perfect son. Adrien couldn’t count the number of times he’d heard his ‘fans’ saying the word ‘perfect’. Ugh. He wasn’t perfect, Adrien mumbled to himself as he very quickly ducked into an alleyway for a shortcut. Mind you, telling this to his fangirls was futile. They didn’t know the kid in those posters was an illusion. Those smiles were fake, the scenes were fake and...well, everything was fake. It was all airbrushing, makeup, and digitally retouching.

Needless to say, Adrien Agreste was so tired of it all, he welcomed this change. Every single day at times, felt exhausting as the young teen had to keep up appearances. It was like a blur at times. Do this, do that. So when he got the chance to take the horse by the reigns, as it were, and show the world who he wanted to be even if via reporting he grabbed that chance.  
  
He understood his father’s position, he was… aware of what happened to his mother when he was younger. He at times suspected his father felt he failed him as a baby. He had a feeling that his father just wanted to control every aspect of his life at times so nothing like that would ever happen again. Adrien’s father wanted to be in control, he didn’t want to lose the only other member of his family that he had left. Yes, there were the Graham de Vanilys, but they were… estranged. After his mother’s passing, the Graham de Vanilys requested their family rings back. His father gave them up in the end, but not without a fight and a few restraining orders. Adrien had never seen his cousin Felix after that. 

They’d never exactly been… close, even at the best of times but Felix? He was still family and one of the few people Adrien had actually known growing up outside of Chloe. Adrien’s breath caught in his throat right then. Chloe. Was she safe? How could he know? Hopefully, she had the sense to duck and take cover when this whole affair started. He vaguely remembered a flash of blond hair on the figure from before. Was that Chloe? No, he corrected himself, it wasn’t. It couldn’t possibly have been, not unless Chloe changed her hair color from a platinum blond to a more dirty shade. And Adrien knew how much she loved her hair, you didn’t touch it. You just didn’t. Not unless you valued life and limb, of course.

So, that left the obvious question. Okay, obvious _ questions, _ Adrien corrected himself _ . _ Was he seeing things, had he only imagined that figure? And if he hadn’t, who was it? A superhero, or the person behind Pigeonzilla? It _ would _make sense for someone to stick close to their monster after all Adrien thought with a brief spurt of paranoia. Good God, today was just getting weirder by the moment.

In his study, Gabriel Agreste watched the unfolding chaos with more than a hint of anxiety. He knew, he just _ knew _what was behind this. The Peacock Miraculous. That book he had, before he’d given it back to Master Fu. It spoke of superheroes, and their abilities. The Peacock’s was to create Guardians to protect others. Apparently it’s power had been… perverted, Gabriel thought with no small amount of fear. That could have been him, he thought. He could have been the one behind all of this had he not chosen to give Nooroo up. 

Nathalie came into the room and held up a tablet. Gabriel’s breath caught in his throat as he saw the livestream on it. _ “Adrien! No! Get out of there, you foolish, silly boy!” _

He nearly had a heart attack then and there as he saw a car get swept up by the massive pigeons wingbeats and sent hurtling towards his only son. A flashback, one of Emilie’s terrified face. _ “Not again, not again!” _Gabriel thought frantically. He let out a breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding as a yellow-clad figure sent the car flying with just one punch.

Adrien gasped and looked up at the heroine in front of him, mostly yellow yes but covered with black stripes like that of a honeybee’s body. Messy blond hair fell freely and loosely, a comb resting in it. He blinked, was that a _ top _ resting on her belt? Odd choice, the model mused but he wasn’t going to judge. _ “Okay then!” _

He was so shocked by all of this, that he’d forgotten his phone was still on ‘record’. He’d only later discover the comment section on his facebook page blowing up with the first known sighting of ‘Honeybee’ as Paris would call her.

Aurore leaped into the air, using her top to swing from building to building and giving chase. This was exhilarating. However, there was no time to enjoy herself she thought, even as the sun glintered off her radiance. Okay, maybe she could enjoy herself just a little. She was a superhero. An honest-to-god _ superhero! _Thinking back, she remembered how this started...

_ Aurore flopped into her bed, groaning as her face hit the pillow. She ignored the small clatter of an unknown object hitting the wooden floor. It was only the first day of school and already she felt sooooooooooo tired. Both Mr. Markoff and Ms. Mendeleiev had assigned her tons of homework. She didn’t even know if she had the capability to get through it all. Briefly, she wondered if Marinette had it any better. Probably not, given she had to deal with Queen Bitch on top of everything else. Hopefully, that new friend of hers could help handle some of the stress. _

_ “...Ugh, I feel like I could sleep for a week. Chemistry today was… Yeah,” Aurore muttered rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling. “Another year of this, yay me. I’m over the moon.” _

_ Cuddling her Yang Xiao Long plush, she wondered if her fellow blond had it this bad in Beacon. Her ears twitched, picking up the faint sound of buzzing somewhere nearby. Flies, great. Just what she needed. She squinted as a bright light filled the room, wondering if the sun was really supposed to be that bright. Oh well, that’s what she had curtains for. Then she remembered something. “...wait, the curtains are closed.” Aurore muttered and she sat straight up. She gaped, right in front of her was a bee. And not just an ordinary bee, one easily the size of a shoe. _

_ Resisting the urge to scream -because really, what else would you do in this sort of scenario- she watched in abject shock as the bee did a little bow. Then it spoke asking: “How may I serve you, my Queen?” _

_ This was not happening, Aurore muttered to herself. This was so not happening. Bees weren’t the size of shoes and they certainly didn’t talk. This was all just some sort of weird fever dream, it had to be. Aurore made a mental note to talk to and make an appointment with a psychiatrist. She had to be going crazy. Because there was not a bee sprite being in front of her, and it was certainly not talking directly to her. It wasn’t addressing her, it wasn’t thinking of her as its queen and it certainly wasn’t flying in front of her. Nope, none of this was real! “If it’s not real, it can’t hurt you. If it’s not real, it can’t hurt you.” Aurore repeated to herself. _

_ “Are you alright my Queen?” the bee being asked it as it hovered up to her upon admittedly cute tiny little wings. It, no… she had a small patch of fuzz on her chest. “You look like you’re very confused by all of this. If I was too forwards, I apologize.” _   
_  
Here the creature hung her head in shame, and while Aurore wasn’t exactly why she immediately felt guilty. Here this little creature was, so devoted to her for some reason and yet here she was rejecting it out of hand. Aurore felt a bit like a bitch. Her eyes trailed down to her bed, and there sat a small opened box that had landed near her dresser. She blinked, could this creature have come from… no, it was impossible. Her mind flashbacked to that strange old man from school, the one she’d seen talking to Marinette and little by little she began to connect the dots. “...did… did you…?” Aurore stammered unable to finish the sentence. The little creature nodded._

_ “Master Fu never makes mistakes, if he gave you to me, surely you must be my Queen!” the little sprite said buzzing around the room in joy. She even did a few loop-de-loops. “Oh, oh! Where are my manners, my queen?” the bee chided herself unflinchingly polite. Or subservient, Aurore wasn’t quite sure yet. “My name is Pollen, the Kwami of Subjection. How serendipitous it is to finally meet you! Oh, I haven’t had a holder in such a long time!” _

_ “Bwuh…” Aurore said trying to speak up but no words came out. This was all getting to be a bit too much for her. _

_ “Oh, oh! I really am getting ahead of myself aren’t I? I’ll try to make this as concise as I can, My Queen. We haven’t much time. The Bee, she -or he sometimes- is the one who keeps the hive in order. That means YOU keep the hive in order. If the hive is disturbed, you bring it to order. The hive has been disturbed, my sister Duusu is now in the hands of the enemy. Monsters will soon be terrorizing Paris, and I’m not sure Brother Nooroo and his new Master will be able to fight them off alone! Oh goodness gracious me, forgive me My Queen for losing my composure but this is all so… so terrifying!” Pollen explained before descending into soft sniffles and sobs. _

_ Aurore wasn’t quite sure why, but her heart went out to the little sobbing bee creature. Cute things shouldn’t be sad, it should have been against the law. Hugging the creature close to her chest, Aurore stroked Pollen’s head and whispered soft comforting words to her not caring about the wet snot on her dress. “Hey… hey, it’s okay…” Aurore whispered to it. “Now, what was this about monsters?” _

_ “Sentimonsters to be precise,” Pollen said regaining her composure and looking confident once more in the face of her Queen. “Creatures created from the despair of others. Normally, they’re Guardian Beasts created from someone’s hope or happiness, it is doubtless the enemy has twisted and perverted the power of the Kwami of Emotion for their own use. Oh, goodness me, this is bad!” _

_ A rush of rage filled Aurore to her very core. Someone was taking advantage of this creature’s family in order to terrorize Paris, her Paris? No, this couldn’t stand. Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me everything. How can I stop this, and who is this Nooroo?” _

_ “Nooroo,” Pollen continued to explain. “Is the Kwami of Transmission. He works similarly to Duusu actually. But instead of creating great guardian beasts, he allows his bearer to create champions. Superheroes, if you like. Now, both function on similar principles, creating something from an object. All you and Nooroo’s champions have to do is find this object and destroy it. All you have to say is “Pollen, Buzz On!” to transform and “Pollen, Buzz Off!” to change back. ...I can only hope Nooroo had enough time to give a similar explanation. Oh, time’s running…” _

_ An explosion came from somewhere outside. “...short.” Pollen finished as she heard this. “Your power is Venom, you can paralyze someone till your power runs out in five minutes and you transform back. Do you understand, My Queen?” _

_ “Seems simple enough, one phrase to transform and another to transform back. I get to sting people, or creatures to paralyze them. Also, I get help from another one of you and his champions. Yeah, I got this in the bag. Pollen… Buzz On!” _

As she swung from rooftop to rooftop, Aurore blinked as she saw a flying car -_ a flying car!- _rocket past her, sirens blaring. Well, that had to be the other hero’s champion, she decided. As if it could be anything else, she thought with a small snort. Cars normally didn’t fly, after all! 

“Hello there!” Aurore chimed in good-naturedly as she zipped alongside the flying -flying! Aurore repeated to herself, this was just too weird!- police car. “I assume I’m speaking to N… Butterfly’s champion?”

“Vigilantes will not be tolerated!” the man inside, which Aurore vaguely recognized as Officer Raincomplex shouted. “You will persist your doings and leave this to the professionals, young madam!”

Aurore felt a little bit insulted. Vigilante? She was a _ superhero! _ The man could at least stand to learn the difference! She took a few deep calming breaths, reminding herself that at heart this man was a police officer. He, even with the fancy new supersuit and flying car retained his sense of self. It couldn’t be helped, she supposed. Then, to her surprise, a purple butterfly-shaped ‘mask’ for lack of a better word appeared over the man’s face. _ “I a-apologize for Rogercop,” _ a new voice female and younger stammered out obviously still new at this. _ “I just chose him o-on the fly, yeah that’s it! I-I didn’t know there was another superhero in town!” _

_ “...Guess Nooroo didn’t get to mention that part did he?” _ Aurore thought to herself. _ “Butterfly Girl probably was so eager to be a superhero she didn’t finish letting him explain everything.” _

“Well, there is,” Aurore said with a cocky smile. “Name’s Honeybee. No, not just ‘the bee’, but _ Honeybee. _Learn it, remember it, ‘cause you’ll be working with me from now on like it or not. Master Fu gave me Pollen and I’m supposed to help you. Partners and all. And you can’t get rid of me like it or not. A Bee’s job is to keep harmony in her hive and make no mistake you being a part of Paris makes ya part of my hive!”

_ “I-I see,” _ Aurore’s partner stammered out obviously unsure about this new arrangement. Oh well, Aurore thought to herself. She’d learn. _ “W-Well, guess I should introduce myself. I’m P-Papillion, yeah that’s it! Papillion!” _

_ “Wow, imaginative,” _Aurore said to herself with a little flat stare before speaking again. “You sure you’re alright? You don’t sound so sure of yourself. Get your head in the game girl, this is Paris on the line here!”

Yeah, maybe she was pressuring this new Butterfly too much, Aurore mused. But this was life and death here. Paris was under attack, and if you faltered for even a moment god only knew what could happen. Papillion needed to be sure of herself, not stutter and falter over her every word. Come to think of it, Aurore/Honeybee mused to herself, Papillon sorta reminded her of another girl she knew...

\------------

Atop her roof, Marinette faltered. Honeybee was right, she needed to get her head in the game here. Taking a few deep breaths, Marinette whispered: “No pressure, right…?” before speaking again through her bond with Rogercop. “Y-Yeah, you’re right! We need to find the person the Sentimonster was born from, the A-Amok I think it was, it’s on an object on his person!”

“Okay, cool, so you know that much, your Kwami explained something to you before you got so all eager to transform. Did he mention the five minute rule?” Honeybee asked of her and Marnette’s breath caught in her throat once again. Five minute rule? What the hell was that? Honeybee sighed, knowing her answer already. “...Great, I suppose I shouldn’t entirely be surprised but… Ah, yeah, once you use your special power you only have five minutes before you transform back. Meaning I’m guessing you only have five minutes to co-coordinate with your Champion.”

And it was at this moment Marinette finally noticed the ‘wings’ on her brooch were folding back up. _ “Stupid!” _ she chastised herself. _ “See Marinette, you’re so not cut out for this superhero business if you don’t stop to listen for such a simple thing such as that!” _

She spoke to her new Champion. _ “Rogercop, I h-have only about three minutes left with you, before… I-I don’t know what happens when I change back. M-Maybe your superpowers stay with you, I don’t know. But t-time’s running short, o-okay?” _she said.

“Understood, Milady!” Rogercop said before shouting: “Law and Order will prevail! Justice will prevail in the streets of Paris.

With that, he floored it and flew after the monster pigeon calling after it: “Stop! In the name of the law! I command you to set yourself down, and allow animal control to handle you!”

He reached his arm out of the driver’s side window and fired a series of laser handcuffs at the pigeon’s legs. All missed and so instead Rogercop changed tactics, firing a tracking device onto the pigeon. “Milady, what about the vigilante? Should I arrest her as well?” he asked. Again, Honeybee looked vaguely insulted.

Marinette blushed, she was going to have to get used to being called that. _ “N-No! NO! Consider her your civilian consultant. She is your ally, allow her to help you!” _ she told her new champion. _ “T-That way, justice will surely prevail in the streets of Paris!” _

“If you say so, Milady,” Roger finally relented before turning back to Honeybee. “Well, it seems you’re off the hook for now. But just don’t cause any trouble and don’t get in my way okay? I would really rather not see anyone hurt in the line of duty!” 

Marinette sighed, this was just too much for her. Handling her tengu, keeping it safe and now having to worry about another superhero on top of all that. Taking a few more deep breaths, she missed the distinctive three toned warning beep of her transformation canceling itself out. It was only after costume vanished with a purple flash that she realized. 

“Oh… Oh.” Marinette mumbled to herself as she realized what had happened. Nooroo weakly fluttered about going for some cookies on Marinette’s desk, left by her parents sometime before. In the back of her mind, she wondered why her parents hadn’t come up to check on her. She was lucky. “...I’m sorry Nooroo, I should have listened. Instead, I went into battle and chose a champion, sent out a Tengu without knowing all the facts. Now for all I know, Honeybee’s facing the pigeon alone…”

“It’s alright, Marinette,” Nooroo said in a gentle tone before nibbling on the cookie. “You’re allowed to make mistakes, nobody’s perfect. And don’t worry, Rogercop will still be out there. His powers won’t fade away just because yours did. You either have to take them away or his Tengu has to be destroyed for that to happen.”

“B-But I have to be perfect,” Marinette stammered out. “I was chosen for this, I’m a superhero! I’m not _ supposed _to make mistakes! I just can’t!”

“And yet you did, and that’s okay. You’re just starting out, everyone makes mistakes when they first try something, that’s how we learn right?” Nooroo asked still in that soft-spoken and yet rather sweet tone. “I wasn’t expecting you to be perfect, I just-”

“Just what? So you were expecting a screw-up? Because congratulations, you got one…” Marinette mumbled. “God knows I’m a super clutz, and I’m barely confident at all! Maybe… just maybe you should take this brooch and go… Find someone else, okay?”

“Now you listen here!” Nooroo said suddenly raising his voice catching Marinette off guard, unaware that the kwami could even do such a thing. “I will not have my bearer putting herself down like that, okay? Nor will I have my chosen ask me to pass her duties off to someone else! Master Fu never makes mistakes, and he sure didn’t with you! He chose you because you’re kind, gentle natured and have a drive to help others. Remember back then? When you transformed without a moment’s notice all because someone just _ might _ be threatening Paris? You’re a good Butterfly, Marinette. I know it. I have _ faith _in you.”

“Y-You have faith in me?” Marinette asked. “But… But you’ve met me, I’m hardly the first choice to lead superheroes around. Hell, I can barely manage my own daily responsibilities as is! I mean, did you see all those unfinished projects on my desk? I’m lucky my parents haven’t come in and discovered you, really!”

“One thing at a time, Marinette,” Nooroo said softly. “I’m not expecting you to be perfect right out of the gate, as I keep saying. You will learn. Every bearer, every chosen always does. My first bearer… he was just like you, unsure of himself and nervous. But a butterfly’s role is to guide, and so I will guide you. If you’ll have me, that is?”

“I… I will!” Marinette declared. “Now let’s save Paris, Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!”

And once again, the warmth of her transformation overtook her…

\------------

“Milady!” Rogercop said as he felt the warm presence of the Butterfly re-enter his mind, wrapping around him in a comforting manner almost like a blanket. “When you dropped out, I thought something horrible had surely happened!”

_ “Just had to get myself together, that’s all. Ideas?” _Marinette asked. 

“I know who this creature was created from,” Rogercop explained. “Xavier Ramier, 26-time offender and kicked out of the Jardins du Trocadéro. Banned from every park in Paris. We have to find him!”

_ “You hear that, Honeybee?” _ Marinette asked her partner, the yellow and black-clad superheroine smiling. It seemed her partner had finally found her confidence. _ “Find Mr. Ramier, he couldn’t have gotten too far! Rogercop and I will handle birdbrain here.” _

Rogercop drove his vehicle around in circles, gripping the wheel hard. As he did so, a miniature cyclone was created around the massive pigeon creature entrapping it. Finally, Rogercop seized his chance and fired laser handcuffs stopping the pigeon in its tracks. “Creature containment in process!” Rogercop said before blowing on his whistle. The pigeon stood at attention. “Now, you there! Go eat your feed!”

He looked to the massive trucks gathering below the Eiffel Tower and the pigeon followed his gaze. With a coo, it flew down to the trucks containing kilos of feed and began pecking at the birdseed. Meanwhile, Honeybee zipped around Paris until her eyes spotted Mr. Ramier sitting near the Arc De Triomphe. With a triumphant grin, she zipped down and grabbed the bird call whistle hanging around his neck before she threw it down and stamped it flat beneath her boot. Mr. Ramier could only look on in confusion. Then came another call, a blue-clad figure wielding a sharp-bladed Chinese style fan. Aurore leaped backwards as her opponent swiped at her, meeting only air. “Guessing you’re the one who’s behind all this right?” Aurore asked. “Well, it stops now. I’m taking your Miraculous, and putting it back where it belongs!”

“Go ahead and try!” the figure said, her voice distorted slashing at Honeybee with her fan. Aurore let out a yelp as the fan sliced into her suit drawing a bit of blood. The peacock themed villain’s voice was distorted beyond any sort of recognition. “How about I take yours instead? I’ve been waiting on you. Finally, someone who actually understands me. Someone on my level, a Miraculous user! This has to be fate… Or that’s what I would say if I didn’t know my Mister Pigeon didn’t draw you out. And then you trapped him. Bad girl, guess I’m gonna have to spank you!”

Aurore let out a growl. “You’ve got some nerve, claiming you and I were destined to meet. The only thing that you’re destined to meet is my Venom!”

Lunging forwards, Aurore’s opponent suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and flipped her head over heels. Hitting the pavement with a thud, Aurore let out a groan of pain. “Awww, did little girl get a boo-boo? Shame really, and I was hoping we could dance a little longer and that you could be an actual challenge. Supervillains always must have only the best of archenemies after all, someone who can match them wit to wit. Guess I set my hopes up to high…” the peacock-themed villain muttered reaching for Aurore’s comb. Then, the sounds of sirens as Rogercop pulled up, arms outstretched and gauntlets ready to fire off a set of laser handcuffs. Unknown to anyone, Adrien was in the background, hiding behind a potted plant and still recording. Peon Blue let out a sigh before she shook her head and vanished in a cloud of feathers. Those very same feathers reformed into a giant size version of her head. 

She addressed her public. “People of Paris, listen carefully. My name is Paon Blue. All you have to do is give me Honeybee and her partner to me. I just want to talk, after all. There’s been too much damage done today.”

A sea of white butterflies met her, and formed into the mask of Papillion. Marinette spoke, gathering her confidence and knowing that this very moment could make or break her and Honeybee’s credibility as heroes._ “Nice try, but I think we know who started what. If you hadn’t sent out your Amok, and created that massive pigeon to oppose us we wouldn’t have had to step in. Let's not reverse the roles here. Without you, none of this would have happened. Nobody would have their despair used against their own city to create monsters. So, Paon Blue, I’ll tell you this. No matter how long it takes, we will find you, and YOU will hand us YOUR Miraculous!” _

Paon Bleu smiled. “Very well then, let the dance begin.”

Honeybee leapt up to the swarm of butterflies, swirling around the Arc. The swarm changed into a fist, and Honeybee reached out to fistbump it. “Pound it, girl. Bien joué!” Aurore said as the city erupted into cheers.

Marinette allowed herself to relax at last, the threat over for now. Allowing her transformation to fall, she smiled as Nooroo fluttered about her. “Good job Master. I knew you could do it. I did say I had faith in you did I not?” he praised. “Between you and Honeybee, I think capturing Paon Blue and bringing them to justice should be a piece of cake.”

Marinette smiled. “...Let’s hope so, because Peon isn’t going down without a fight I think. Pigeonzilla, I think, it won’t be the first Sentimonster we’ll have to face. And all of this on top of schoolwork…” she groaned and Nooroo smiled.

“Well, what kind of Kwami would I be if I didn’t give my master an assist?” Nooroo said holding up a pencil. “Marinette, if you can save the city, I’m sure you can ace this homework.”

Marinette laughed and brought Nooroo in for a cuddle. He didn’t protest too much. Marinette smiled, looks like this year may have been looking up after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first battle with both heroes and Marinette's finally found... well, some of her confidence anyways. Not all of it, but she's well on her way to becoming the hero we know in canon. Now, I want to address something here, and I'm not trying to throw shade on a fellow author -at least not intentionally- but I noticed in Nymph, Marinette took to her powers a little too easily. In canon, Marinette is self-doubtful at first and not confident at all compared to her partner. Okay, admittedly in Nymph because she's alone in her fight for several chapters until Belle Aube gets introduced she may have had to step up sooner than in canon but it still bothers me.
> 
> Now, Adrien and his father's relationship. I'm trying to aim for Gabriel being a... well, not a great parent but at the very least a halfway decent one. Emile is gone, and Gabriel's not tempted by Nooroo's power here so he's a sorta decent human being if not an understandably overprotective one. So yeah, their relationship is a little strained but at least here Adrien won't have to worry about his father being a supervillain.
> 
> Now, next update? Probably won't be till sometime in December. I do want to work on some other stuff really. But yeah, that's the end of the opening arc, and please do tell me what you think, okay?


	5. 5: Aftermath

Marinette wasn't sure what to feel now. Superheroes, magical talking fairy gods who turned you _ into _a superhero. Sentimonsters, and peacock villains who used magical feathers to create said monsters from your despair. Good grief! It was like she was in some kinda magical girl anime right now! ...Not that there was anything wrong with that, she supposed. Now all she needed was the cutesy little mascot creature and the whole thing would be complete! 

...Oh right.

Nooroo let out a soft little snore, the sound coming from up in the rafters above. His wings fluttered cutely in his sleep, his chest slowly rising and falling as he dreamed his Kwami dreams. _ “Wonder how mom feels about butterflies?” _ Marinette thought to herself. Then another thought hit her. _ “S-Should I even tell her? P-Probably not. I-I mean she worries enough as it is! I can take care of myself you know! If I suddenly told her I was Papillon she’d probably freak out! Hell, I'm surprised I haven't had a mental meltdown myself! ...Oh well, I guess the shock hasn't set in yet. Maybe tomorrow I'll be freaking out about all of this…” _

Who was Paon Bleu? That was the main question on her mind. The others being why they were doing this and how they even had the peacock Miraculous to begin with. Casting a glance up back at Nooroo, Marinette let out another sigh. She hated to think of something like him in the hands of a truly evil person. And yet that was Duusu’s fate right now. Marinette’s hand tightened around her pencil, nearly snapping it in her anger. She swore to change Duusu's fate. She swore to. If there was one thing that could be said about Marinette, it was that her parents had instilled in her a strong sense of right and wrong. The problem was, at times it seemed that she was too insecure and too unsure of herself to act on it. Perhaps now with a little bit of Nooroo’s guidance she could break free from her cocoon.

Marinette’s attention turned to her laptop seeing a small icon flashing on the screen. The wallpaper had been set to the Arc De Triomphe lit up in a golden glow. Marinette smiled upon seeing Aurore’s face come on screen, the blond’s hair having fallen loosely from its usual girlish pigtails. Marinette blinked, now that she thought about it, Aurore's hair like this almost made her look like… Marinette shook her head. No, that was just silly. She simply couldn't be! More likely, Aurore had just undid her hair -as she always did- before bed. Yeah! That was it. The cup of hot chocolate in her hand only added to this.

“Mari!” Aurore babbled over the computer screen in an excited tone. Marinette raised an eyebrow, the last time her friend had been this beside herself she’d aced Ms. Bustier’s history exam. “Did you see? Tell me you saw! TELL ME YOU SAW!”

“S-Saw what?” Marinette murmured as Aurore practically bounced in her seat. 

“Girl, superheroes!” Aurore practically shouted. Marinette's heart nearly stopped before she regained her composure. No, Aurore simply couldn't have… (Though now that she thought about it Honeybee _ did _sound pretty familiar…)

“I… uh what? Superzeroes… NO! Superheroes?” Marinette rambled stumbling over her own words. Oh, her brain so couldn't process this right now. This could not be happening! Oh, she simply couldn't have been discovered after not even one day. Not even one!

“We have _ actual _freaking superheroes in our city! Two! Two of them! Count them for me, I want to hear it! Two!” Aurore continued to babble holding up two fingers for Marinette. “This Darien kid I think, his name was? He's got all the deets. He was on-site! On-site! Heard rumors from Alix that there's a blog up already and everything!”

“No offense, but… I… uh, if superheroes existed, don't you… don't you think that they’d value their privacy? I mean, so they can do their, uh, superheroing and stuff?” Marinette stammered out. “J-Just saying.”

“If? _ If? _” Aurore continued her voice raised in abject shock. “There's pictures and everything! Officer Roger? You know, Sabrina’s father? He was on the evening news talking about this Papillion woman. Said one moment he was in his car, and the next he was all Supercop! Fancy that!” Aurore continued leaning back in her chair. 

“Wait, seriously?” Marinette asked faking surprise. She had to be careful now. If she really wasn't there went her secret identity. Hopefully just maybe Roger didn't remember too much. “Did he say what she looked like, or anything?”

“Nooooooo,” Aurore said as she huffed and crossed her arms. “Which is pretty lame if you're asking for my opinion. All he could give to the artist for a sketch was basically what appeared in that butterfly swarm atop the Arc. So, basically… not much.”

Marinette wiped the sweat off her brow and sighed in relief. Hopefully, Aurore would think it was just hot in her room or something. Hopefully. “You said superheroes right? As in more than just one?” Marinette asked with Aurore giving her a flat look. “Oh right, you did say two, didn't you? So who's this other one?”

“Bee themed heroine,” Aurore said in reply. “She's not getting as much attention in the media. Lame! Bees are cool. But compared to someone who can actually _ give _you superpowers I suppose a bee isn't as cool in comparison. Hey! Maybe Papillion could give you superpowers one day. Yeah, I can see it now! The Fashionista! You’d make a great superhero Marinette!”

“Y-You think so?” Marinette stammered out blushing under the praise. Her friend thought that much of her, a simple baker’s daughter? Marinette fiddled with her hair as she replied: “I-I mean if you think so…”

“Marinette, you really need to give yourself more credit!” Aurore said seriously and sternly. She looked her friend dead in the eyes and was about to -probably- lecture her before there was a crash in the background somewhere. “Oh, excuse me. T-That was my cat. Probably got his ball of yarn…”

“I didn't know you had a cat,” Marinette inquired in surprise. 

“Y-Yeah,” Aurore stammered out. This was odd. Usually, she was the more confident and self-assured of the duo. One might even say cocky. “Just got him t-today. Papa brought him home from the pet shop earlier as a welcome home gift.”

Marinette blinked. First she'd heard of anyone getting a cat for coming home from their first day back to school. There came another crash and her eyebrow raised. “Aurore, you alright?” Marinette asked in confusion and concern. “You're… you're not having any trouble are you?” 

“No… no! I'm fine. Look, I'll call you later. Right now I need to bribe someone out of her hiding spot under my desk with honey!” Aurore said before closing the call. Again, Marinette blinked. That was _ really _odd. Cats didn't eat honey… did they? Maybe Aurore's required a special diet. Or she was just that spoiled. (It was clearly obvious Marinette was not a cat person and knew nothing about them.)

There came a small yawn from behind Marinette as she took the lift up to the balcony. Nooroo fluttered up to her, popping a sugar cube in his mouth. 

“Good first day for you Marinette,” Nooroo appraised as he rested himself on her shoulder. “You really rose up to the challenge presented to you. See, I knew you could do it!”

“...Oh, y-you really think so?” Marinette stammered out and Nooroo frowned to himself. The soft-spoken kwami had been observing Marinette all day and it worried him with what he saw. He wasn't concerned that the Great Guardian had made a mistake, oh no. What he was worried about was something else. His caterpillar was far too insecure for his likings. He could only guess at what was going on. Perhaps it was just a case of Aurore being too loud and causing her friend to face away into the background by accident. Or maybe it was something else. Bullies? It was certainly possible. It wouldn't have been the first time. A fit of searing anger raced through Nooroo at the thought, anger he didn't even know he possessed. His caterpillars were the quiet gentle type. While they were often incredibly kind, they were also as a consequence, prime targets for the big loud sorts who loved to throw their weight around. It was nature's way of balancing things he supposed. Nooroo didn't have to say he liked it but he knew how these things worked. 

As always, it fell to him to be that guiding hand his caterpillar needed. Yeah, this was how it would go. Marinette only needed a bit more self-confidence in herself. For now Nooroo would sit quietly and observe, assess the severity of the situation at hand. He never fancied himself a planner - that was more Plagg or Longg’s area of expertise, after all- but Nooroo would rise to the task. The Great Guardian placed his trust in him and Nooroo would not betray it.

Actually, saying _ just _Master Fu placed his trust in him was an inaccuracy. A year or so before, Nooroo had been out of his brooch and had overheard Gabriel Agreste -Nooroo still remembered the then broken man, even to this very day- talking about a girl who had recently been injured in an accident. Nooroo thought nothing of it at the time, but looking back now he had to wonder… Was this the girl? Quite possibly. He had heard Master arguing -Quite passionately at that!- with the Agreste man on how a Miraculous simply couldn't be handed out on a mere whim. Clearly Gabriel disagreed.

Clearly.

Privately, Nooroo could see his point. It was a kwami’s duty to improve the life of whoever needed their assistance. However, Master Fu was also quite correct in saying you couldn't just hand out a Miraculous like it was a piece of candy. He suspected some of the more… passionate Kwamis like Kaalki would disagree. (Kaalki loved the fame and glamour that being a hero brought, especially if the hero was already famous beforehand. She was like that.)

“Marinette, I placed my faith in you and we kwamis are never mistaken.” Nooroo said kindly.

“B-But… God, I messed up so badly today!” Marinette replied. “I leaped before I looked and I nearly lost the battle because I didn't listen to all of your instructions!”

Nooroo noted his bearer’s penchant for over dramatics.

“You did no such thing,” he said kindly before pausing. “Marinette, there comes a time for every baby bird to leave its nest. To learn to fly. You charging into battle today, it proved you have a strong heart for justice. To leap into battle simply to save my sister… I could have never been more proud.”

“B-But what if I screw up somehow again? And next time it's even worse? I could get someone killed! I could get _ you _killed!” Marinette squeaked out in fear.

“That could never happen,” Nooroo reassured nuzzling her cheek. “At worst I would be reduced to my spirit form for several hundred years before a new Miraculous is made for me. You _ will _ learn. There may be some stumbles, yes, but that's only natural. I will be there to guide you. That is the butterfly’s role, after all.”

“You… You will?” Marinette asked. “...I'm not sure I deserve that. What did I do to deserve a friend like you? I'm nobody special…”

Nooroo frowned. That practically confirmed his suspicions. Bullies after all. “Nonsense! Everybody is special in their own way. That includes you!” he said poking Marinette in the chest with a tiny finger. The girl was reduced to tears in just a few short seconds.

“T-Thank you…” she whispered through her tears. Nooroo fluttered into her hair nesting himself in it. He looked out into Paris and took in the lights. They truly were beautiful. Yes, for this city’s sake he would help this girl. 

“Marinette?” Nooroo asked gently before he smiled. She was fast asleep. It was there Sabine found them, tucking her daughter into bed with Nooroo mistaken for some plush toy. She smiled as she stroked her daughter's hair.

“Sleep well…” 

\------------

Nooroo elected to come with Marinette to school the next day. If he was to get to the root of Marinette’s issues, it was best he came to see things for himself. Someone had turned his caterpillar into an anxiety-ridden mess, and… well, to be honest, Nooroo didn’t exactly know what he’d do when he found the person. “Marinette…” Nooroo whispered as he gently nudged the sleeping girl. “...time to wake up…”

Marinette mumbled something in her sleep as she rolled onto her side, clutching her pillow tightly. Nooroo sighed, he had to get a heavy sleeper, didn’t he? Oh well, there was nothing for it he decided as he went for a glass of water resting on Marinette’s bedside table. Whispering an apology to her, Nooroo lifted the glass and tipped the contents onto Marinette’s head. With a yelp, his master shot straight up and once she’d found the source of her rude awakening -a now giggling Nooroo- she shot him a glare that could probably melt steel. 

“...Very funny,” Marinette mumbled to herself as she got dressed -with Nooroo averting his eyes like a true gentleman- and eventually joined her parents downstairs. She sorta resembled the walking dead, not that Nooroo would ever say this aloud. Evidently, Marinette was not a morning person.

“Unghcufl…” she mumbled as she went for the refrigerator for a glass of milk. Marinette’s words -probably- loosely translated to something like ‘get out of my face or eat flaming terror.’ She was not a morning person. Clearly. Up above, Nooroo hid in the shadows. 

“Tom, have you ever noticed that more butterflies are coming around lately?” Sabine asked her husband, who’d come up from the bakery covered in flour. She looked outside to where several of the creatures were flying by, as music echoed up from the streets along with the sound of car horns. “Maybe it’s just my imagination but… I swear our house doesn’t normally get this many little visitors.”

“Must be the butterfly garden you planted last spring,” Tom shrugged kissing his daughter on the cheek with a ‘good morning.’ He extended a finger out the open window and watched one butterfly land on his finger. It was soon to flutter off. “Probably working wonders to attract the little ones. Still, I’m not complaining. Not unless they try and steal from our stores!”

“Your jokes need work dear,” Sabine said. “But you’re right, and I’m probably just imagining things. Oh Marinette, don’t forget your bag today. Aurore said she had to rush back and get it before class yesterday.”

Marinette flushed in embarrassment and tried to hide behind her history textbook. She failed, but points for the attempt I suppose. “Yes… Uh, that… Uh, did happen didn’t it?” 

“Speaking of butterflies,” Tom went on in the background. “Papillion, imagine. Our own fair city, with its own superheroine. Now that’s something else isn’t it?” 

“You thinking of being chosen by her?” Sabine asked with a smile while Marinette bit her lip to stop herself making a surprised squawk that would probably give her away.

“Tom Dupain, the Baker! Beating up supervillains, Tom style! Boo-yah! Super Baker to the rescue!” Tom shouted flexing his muscles and striking a pose. Nooroo giggled faintly in the background.

“Oh, you!” Sabine said gently swatting his arm before looking back down to the bakery. “...You’ll also be the baker who burns his bread if you don’t go back down there…”

Tom let out a shout before rushing back down to the bakery. Sabine turned to her daughter and both laughed their heads off. “Now Marinette,” Sabine then said. “If you marry someone, make sure they know how to bake and have a good amount of sense on their shoulders. Like your father, okay honey?”

“I’ll… I’ll keep that in mind,” Marinette said before making a face. “...but don’t you think I’m a little young to be thinking about this? And imagine, me in love! I’d probably be a nervous wreck!”

“Yeah, perhaps you are…” Sabine admitted not hearing that last part before sighing wistfully. “...Maybe it’s living in Paris that’s changed me. They do call it the City of Love for a reason after all… Oh, by the way. Marinette, don’t forget to clean your room after school today. A respectable woman must have a respectable household.”

“Mom!” Marinette half-whined.

“Fine, I’ll go ahead and clean it, but don’t blame me if I come across any of your private stuff, like your emails, your diary-” Sabine started before Marinette let out a squeak and wheeled herself back towards the stairs. Sabine chuckled before smiling. “...Ah, to be young again.”

Nooroo had to smile to himself, at least his chosen seemed to have a good home life. Still, it was going to be difficult to hide himself from his chosen’s parents. He couldn’t use the plushie excuse for long, or at least every time. The Dupain-Chengs, they were already suspicious, given they’d noticed the butterflies drawn to the brooch. And more would come in the days to follow. It was, after all, a natural side-effect of the Miraculous' powers given it needed butterflies to create its guardians. He was just thankful kwamis couldn’t ever be seen on camera. Speaking of kwamis, Nooroo already had his suspicions as to who was the new Bee hero. Aurore really needed to work on her excuses, hopefully Pollen was already having talks with her on that. 

_ “Well, that’s one less thing to worry about I suppose…” _ Nooroo thought to himself. _ “But finding Duusu will require collaboration, and I suspect my holders will have to reveal their identities to each other sooner or later. Less troublesome that way, I suppose. I’ll have to confer with Master Fu and Wayzz. This is a new sort of situation, not in recent memory has there ever been a kwami falling into the hands of someone evil…” _

It was then Nooroo had a brainstorm. _ “Of course!” _ he thought slapping his forehead. _ “Maybe… just maybe going to Marinette’s school will reveal who has my sister as well! Unless… no, nobody’s stupid enough to carry their Miraculous around with them if they wanted to hide from the Guardian’s prying eyes. More likely, the Peacock Brooch is hidden away somewhere safe and only taken out when needed. Rats!” _

Here, he mentally sent an apology towards Mullo. Nooroo then zipped out a nearby window and flew out over the city already sensing Pollen’s presence. At a nice little garden near a series of houses, Pollen was already zipping about freely, buzzing around flowers on her tiny wings. Smiling, she gave a little wave to Nooroo.

“Ooooh, my Queen is a good one this time!” Pollen practically gushed to her friend. “She took to her powers almost instantly! It was like she was born to be a superhero!”

“Yes, but she needs better excuses,” Nooroo commented pointedly. “You’re her… cat? I wasn’t aware you had suddenly changed species and become a goddess of destruction.”

Pollen had the decency to blush at this. “...Um… Yes, so I am, apparently. I’ll have a word with her about that. Imagine, me being mistaken for Plagg! I for one, have never caused the extinction of the dinosaurs!” she huffed.

“...you’re never letting that one go are you?” Nooroo sweatdropped. Pollen shook her head in a tiny ‘no’ motion.

“I had good friends amongst the dinosaurs,” Pollen muttered. “And anyways, Plagg should know better! I swear, him and his Cataclysm will be the death of us all one day! It’ll be a complete catastrophe!” she ranted, Nooroo just nodding his head and listening to every word.

“...Did I mishear you, or did you just pun?” Nooroo asked gently with a small quizzical tilt of his head. He must have misheard, he just must have!”

“I-I did no such thing!” Pollen blushed and stammered out, crossing her arms. “I have more class than that! I shall never stoop to Plagg’s level!”

“...If you say so…” Nooroo said before he quickly changed subjects wanting to spare himself from Pollen’s wraith. “Have… have you given any thought to our… little problem?”

Pollen’s face fell, crestfallen. “Sadly, I haven’t. I’ve been more concerned with the day to day matters, and keeping myself hidden from my chosen’s parents. Has… has it been the same with you?”

“Yes, sadly. My chosen needs to be built up a bit before she can fully come into her own as a heroine,” Nooroo said sadly. “I dare not speak badly of her, but she is quite insecure about her own abilities. I suspect bullies.”

Pollen’s cheeks flared up in rage, and if Nooroo didn’t know better she looked as if she was about to venom someone. “Bullies…” the bee growled slamming a miniature fist into her palm. “Ooooooh, give me one good reason why, once you find the source of your chosen’s torment, why I shouldn’t Venom their asses!”

“Awkward explanations and Wayzz’s disapproving looks?” Nooroo said wisely and Pollen shuddered at the thought. 

“...you’re always the kind one of us, aren’t you?” Pollen sighed. “If it were up to me, I’d…”

“Venom someone?” Nooroo repeated gently. “Yes, I heard. But violence only begets more violence. Besides, as soon as my chosen becomes more confident in herself, she’ll be able to handle her tormentors. Or they’ll simply leave her alone.”

Pollen harrumphed, not completely convinced but eventually relented. “You thinking identity reveal? I know I am, because if our masters are going to fight together they must have absolute trust in each other.”

“...I’m… I’m not sure honestly.” Nooroo admitted. “There’s never been a situation quite like this, at least… not that I can remember. But yes, trust is paramount. What I worry though is someone may give away their identities to the enemy.”

“Oh Nooroo,” Pollen said shaking her head. “Your Tenshis never remember much about your Butterflies, if that’s what you’re worried about. And if it’s about our masters themselves getting captured, well… we’ll just have to train them up hard enough so that they don’t! Or get out ahead of this situation and find Duusu ourselves!”

“I’ll… I’ll have to think more on this,” Nooroo considered. “I’m already thinking it’s possible to start at my chosen’s school for her possible classmates but… If our enemy is smart they’d keep Duusu locked away until she’s needed. Plus… and I know how this sounds, but I can’t see mere teenagers being this ‘Paon Blue’ character… Maybe it sounds like I want to think the best of people, but…”

Here Pollen only smiled.

“But that is one of your greatest strengths. I’m the cynic, the one who protects the hive and considers every possibility no matter how stupid or unlikely. You’re an optimist -we have Tikki to thank for that!- and you _ do _ see the best in people. We are in quite the bind, aren’t we?” Pollen sighed. “For now, I suppose it’s best we just wait and watch, and see what happens. Confer with Master Fu, he’ll have more answers. Hell, maybe he’ll remember how the Peacock got stolen. Only he saw it last, after all…”

“Yeah…” Nooroo sighed to himself. “Yes, we’ll watch and wait for the time. And Pollen?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for the talk, you’re always a good listening ear,” Nooroo said before flying off back to his chosen. Marinette, he found, was on her balcony again sketching the city skyline. “Free of aphids?” he asked looking at her rooftop garden.

Marinette smiled before she giggled and reached towards Nooroo. “But not… Kwami free!” she said tickling his belly as Nooroo let out a giggle. Marinette relented after a short while, and allowed Nooroo to nuzzle her cheek. This… This was fine, he decided. This was who he was fighting for, and this was who he was guiding. He could never forget that. 

\------------

Place du Châtelet, 75001 was the location of the Agreste Mansion, rising tall and proud over the rest of the street and the other manors even, with its tall fences making it resemble a fortress. The massive wrought iron gate that could only be opened with express permission completed the look really. If it wasn’t quite frankly so intimidating, one could almost joke that Gabriel was overcompensating for something. It was his keep, his kingdom which he ruled over with almost a sort of impunity. 

Yes, even in a timeline where Gabriel never became the dreaded Hawkmoth, he still cast a shadow over Paris in some ways. That wasn’t to say he was an unfair man, he was just… overprotective but if not without reason given his past. Now, presuming you got past the great gates in front of you, you’d be led into a great hall decorated with only the finest of amenities imported from Gabriel’s native Italy. There was a sense of monochrome really, black and white dominating the entrance and other pale colors -bordering on the pastel- throughout the house. And at the end of the hallway, up a flight of stairs was a picture of the Agreste family as it once was, before that one drunk driver shattered it all. Gabriel Agreste on the right, and Emilie Graham de Vanily on the left. 

_ “Y-Yes, officer, I was right there, during all of it! From when Pigeonzilla -what, you have a better name?- first appeared right till the very end of all, when Papillion first made her address to Paris,” _ Adrien’s voice came from Gabriel’s tablet, the silver-haired man rewinding the footage and then replaying it as he suppressed a shudder. His son, his only son had been right _ there _ during all the madness. He could have… He could have lost him, just like he lost… Gabriel ushered the thoughts away as soon as they came. Best not to think of such matters. He let the footage continue. _ “...well, what do I think of Lady Papillion? She’s… she’s so… well, heroic I suppose. A true inspiration. T-That’s not to say you’re not an inspiration officer, in fact I think given time the Paris Police Force could have probably handled Pigeonzilla. I’m just saying, it’s nice to know Paris has her own… well, is calling her a Guardian Angel too pretentious?” _

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, if he didn’t know any better he’d have sworn his son was in love with this Lady Papillion. He hadn’t even met the girl! He would have to talk with Adrien on certain matters in regards to love. Oh yes, he would have to talk with his son. Putting himself in danger like that, just to grab the latest scoop before anyone else! Gabriel rested a hand on the wall to steady himself, no no he couldn’t let himself lose control. He promised… he promised himself he’d be there for when Adrien needs him. And he had to think of the brand. It wouldn’t do for the founder of the _ Gabriel _brand to be seen having an anxiety attack. And no, he didn’t care he was far away from the cameras and the limelight and all that. He still had an image to keep up in public or in private. 

Gabriel was terrified, terrified. His son seemed to actually seek out danger, or at least he did yesterday. He didn’t know why, maybe he had too much of his mother in him. And Gabriel knew from the moment he thought it he knew it to be true. It wasn’t just in his eyes or his sun-kissed blond hair but it was his whole attitude. Kind and polite to a fault, but when riled, he could be a real firecracker. Gabriel chuckled to himself bitterly, maybe he should have kept that Miraculous for later, to give to his son at some later date. 20, definitely twenty. He banished that thought as well, his son could never be in any danger. Not any danger at all. Gabriel knew he was a mess of a man, he knew it. But he was all his son had. 

“Father?” Adrien’s voice asked and Gabriel turned his head to see his son walking down the stairs from his room, his bodyguard close behind. “Are… are you alright? You look like you’ve been… were you thinking about maman again?”

Too late did Gabriel realize he had been crying. “I’m… I’m fine. Just go to school Adrien, and be back for lunch okay?”

Lunches used to be the exact same every day, Gabriel having always passed on time with his son to the nannies. Maybe Gabriel was afraid he would grow too close to his son, he didn’t know. There used to be no laughter, or no stories to share. None of his mother anyways, Gabriel never saw the point of sharing stories of a woman whom his son would never get to know. He wasn’t sure when it had changed, when he finally decided to make an effort. Maybe he never would know. “I trust you, Adrien,” Gabriel finally said and his son looked at him in confusion and bewilderment. “I trust your judgment on things okay? Just… just be careful okay?”

“Father, is… is this about yesterday?” Adrien asked. 

“Yes, this is about yesterday,” Gabriel said, raising his voice perhaps more than he would have liked. “I trust your judgment, and this means I also trust you not to put yourself in any needless danger. Please, son, don’t ever do that again. Don’t make me regret my decision to put you in Françoise Dupont with the… rabble.”

The threat was clear and Adrien swallowed before answering with a “N-Noted. I understand, Father. Thank you again, for putting me in public school.”

“You deserve only the best, and… and if public schooling makes you happy, then… who am I to forbid it? How was your first day?” Gabriel asked softly, regretting not asking this earlier.

“It was… okay, I suppose. Chloe was there, did you know that?”

“Ah yes, Ms. Bourgeois. Audrey did mention to me her daughter was going there this year,” Gabriel noted suppressing a grimace at the thought of that simply awful, dreadful woman. “How was she?”

“Same as always I suppose,” Adrien shrugged. “A bit controlling, wanting to make sure I made friends with the ‘proper’ people. I think her father spoils her a bit too much, you know? I… I want to tell her she’s being… well, being a bit of a brat frankly, but she’s my only friend. I don’t want to lose her.”

“If Ms. Bourgeois refuses to change, then that is her own fault,” Gabriel said kneeling down to his son’s level. “Do not let her dictate how you live your life. You are free to make the friends you choose.”

“Thank you father.”

And for the first time in perhaps a few years, Gabriel smiled.

\------------

Marinette wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she went back to school, maybe it was for everything to have suddenly changed in some bizarre manner or something. Marinette thanked whoever was listening that nothing really seemed to have changed, for better or for worse. Oh sure, there were a few people still talking about ‘Lady Papillion’ as they always did -Marinette blushed at the praise people were unknowingly giving her- but everything seemed relatively normal.

“Dupain-Cheng!” came _ that _ voice and Marinette nearly wilted. Yes, everything was definitely normal. Chloe walked up, looking at Marinette and turning up her nose making an expression as if she’d smelled something foul. “Oh, you can’t even be bothered to be _ fashionably _late. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. If you’re going to be going anywhere in the fashion industry you need to be precise and on time!”

In Marinette’s bag, Nooroo frowned as he felt his chosen’s distress. Was this the bully? Probably.

“Leave her alone Chloe,” Alix said as she walked up, with Nathaniel in tow hiding behind her. “You’ve got someone else to bother right? So go ahead and bother them. Buzz off. Go on, shoo.”

“Oh look, it’s the street rat,” Chloe said in disgust. “Oh, I can’t even believe I’m seen talking to you. You don’t even know how to dress yourself properly, and oh! We mustn’t even speak of that hair! It’s like a rat’s nest!”

Here she turned to Nathaniel and her voice softened. “Do yourself a favor tomato, and go find yourself some new girlfriends,” she said and Nathaniel’s face turned as red as his hair. An amazing feat indeed, Chloe mused as she blocked out Nathaniel’s denials of how neither Alix or Marinette were his girlfriends. She knew they weren’t, of course, they couldn’t be. No, it was Liar Liar Pants on Fire whom he was dating. Honestly, the way she hung off him was simply disgusting. It was like she had no class! No class, whatsoever! “Because seriously, these two aren’t worth your time. I don’t know who bribed you with what, but really!”

Oh, surely not! Oh, surely Nathaniel wasn’t just hanging out with them because he felt sorry for them. Yes, that had to be it. The skater girl and the baker’s daughter, why else would he hang out with them?

“T-They didn’t bribe me with anything, I...I chose to spend time with them,” Nathaniel said as he shrunk back into himself. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“Oh, so I was right,” Chloe grumbled. “You are just hanging out with them because you felt sorry for them! Oh, honestly, between you and Gelato, you two make a sorry state of affairs!”

“Gelato?” Marinette mouthed to Alix. “Does she mean Lila?”

“Possibly… probably. Gelato is Italian ice cream, and Lila’s Italian so…” Alix mouthed back. “Do you know of anyone else she could be referring to?”

“And by the way,” Chloe went on. “Tell Gelato to get rid of that ugly orange jacket, okay? It looks like a carrot went ahead and threw up on it. Oh, I can’t even be seen near anyone who wears anything that trashy!”

“Says the girl who wears something that’s nearly blinding I want to tear my eyes out oh god lemon yellow!” Alix drawled before snickering to herself at her own joke. “You’re one to talk about fashion sense!”

“EXCUSE ME?” Chloe shouted in offense narrowing her eyes at Alix. “This jacket was worn on the cover of Vogue by one Morgane Dubled! Not that you’d ever know anything about any of that shortstack!”

“Well, at least my face isn’t plastic!” Alix snapped back at Chloe. “How you can even smile without your face cracking is beyond me. It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” she said with a mocking grin.

“She should have that catchphrase copyrighted,” Nathaniel whispered to Marinette who had to stop herself from giggling outright and having Chloe’s wraith turned on her. “Because knowing Alix, she’ll keep on using it from now on.”

“And if this Morgane Dubled was a real fashion model,” Alix went on. “She’d surely have more taste than to model something like… _ that! _Face it Chloe, you know nothing about fashion, and you’re too proud to admit it, so you go ahead and take it out on us! Me, I’m perfectly fine with the way I look. I practically ooze ‘I don’t give a crap about you’ really.”

“...Keep deluding yourself,” Chloe replied with a sniff. “Ugly is ugly, there’s no getting around that. Really Alix, if I didn’t hate you and didn’t want to be seen with you for the life of me I’d take you shopping just for some new clothes so you’d look half-way presentable. Not sure that there’s anything we can really do about that hair but… I’m no miracle worker, even as much as I’d like to be.”

“Please, miracle workers are angels, and you are _ no _ angel,” Alix drawled. “Keep telling yourself that though.” 

“I’m not an angel, I’m a _ princess,” _Chloe refuted. “Ruling over all I see. That includes you peasant.”

“Princesses are supposed to be fair and just, and needless to say, you are anything but,” Alix deadpanned. “Come call me when you actually gain a heart and stop thinking of anyone but yourself.”

“Oh, but did you not hear me yesterday?” Chloe asked. “I warned Dupain-Cheng against Gelato. She didn’t listen, but I had to try. Gelato had to know her place, and that’s-”

“...Under your heel?” Marinette asked. “Alix is right, go buzz off Chloe. You’ve overstayed your welcome, Lila’s new here. She doesn’t need to be worrying about you.”

Chloe resisted the urge to say something to the effect of how Marinette should be more worried about Lila but decided to say nothing. At least for now anyways. Oh well, Dupain-Cheng would learn in time, and Chloe would do her best to keep Liar Liar Ugly As All Hell Jacket Hopefully on Fire at bay. It was her job after all, even if Alix refused to acknowledge her as Princess of Paris. Her loss, really. 

“...she doesn’t learn when to quit does she?” Nathaniel asked with a sigh as he watched Chloe walk off head held high as ever. 

“That’s Chloe for you,” Marinette muttered to herself as they made their way to Ms Bustier’s class. “It’ll probably take a miracle for her to change, like an honest to god miracle.”

“And possibly not even then!” Lila’s voice came from behind, practically scoffing by the sounds of it. “She didn’t hurt you any, because if you want I can go ahead and…”

“No no, you don’t need to do anything on my behalf,” Marinette sighed. “Honestly, between you and Alix…”

“But that’s what friends do,” Lila said. “We look out for one another, and _ you _are a friend Mari. I swear, you’re too nice. Could probably give someone cavities.”

As they took their seats, Marinette didn’t notice a certain blond-haired boy enter the classroom and strike up a conversation with Chloe. “...Really Chloe, must you throw your weight around so much?” Adrien asked. “I know your father calls you his little princess but…”

“And that’s because I _ am. _That is why I must assert my authority, and show the rabble their place. This is my hive, and I must rule it. It’s what my daddy does after all with Paris.”

“Ever… ever consider your father might be wrong, or that you’re applying his techniques in the wrong way?” Adrien asked even as Chloe blew up a pink bubble of candy gum. “I’m… I’m not saying you’re wrong, but maybe your technique needs refinement. I mean, just yesterday you were… well, I will be honest. You were keeping me from making any new friends.”

“Trust me Adrikins, I’m the only friend you need,” Chloe said as she placed some gum on a nearby seat, Alix having left to go to the bathroom. “It’s been like that since childhood, am I right?”

Adrien decided against telling her that they weren’t children anymore and went about trying to clear the gum up off from Alix’s seat. Lila took notice of this and like any alpha bitch worth her salt she had also taken notice of Adrien and Chloe’s seeming friendship. She smirked to herself, good, that was some potential dirt to use. No, it was information. Adrien was Gabriel Agreste’s son, and he could take her places. How to approach him was another matter. She nudged Marinette, gesturing in Adrien’s direction.

“Hey, that’s one of Chloe’s friends right?” Lila asked. “...and that’s Alix’s seat isn’t it?”

“Yeah, you’re right, it is…” Marinette said her eyes narrowed in suspicion. I know I've seen him somewhere before… AH! Now I remember. Of course! He's the son of my fave fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste!”

Lila laughed. “Daddy's boy, teen supermodel, _ and _Chloé's buddy? Ha! Forget it.” 

Marinette huffed as she wheeled herself over to Adrien as Sabrina and Chloe laughed in the background. “No, no, I was just trying to take this off!” Adrien quickly said as he noticed Marinette’s glare.

“I’m sure,” she deadpanned. Marinette couldn’t believe Gabriel’s son was this much of a… a punk! “You're friends with Chloé, right? Take my advice, and get some new friends.”

“You go, girl,” Lila said fist-bumping Marinette. “See, spend enough time around me and you’ll figure it out.”

Marinette didn’t look quite so enthusiastic. Adrien for his part, sighed to himself as he made his way back to his seat. _ “She probably hates me, but… I can’t just tell her the truth can I? I've known Chloé since I was a little kid. I know she's not perfect, but I can't just throw her under the bus. She's like my only friend.” _

He remembered his father’s words from earlier. He had to put his foot down, but how? God, public schools were so complicated. He looked to Chloe, who was now smirking at a very annoyed Alix and sighed again.

“Hey dude, Chloe’s your friend right?” another voice asked. 

“...why does everyone keep saying that?” Adrien asked as he looked to the owner of the voice, a dark-skinned male with headphones around his neck. “But yeah, she’s my friend. Okay, maybe my only friend. I’m pathetic, I know.”

“Well, I think it’s time for you to make some new friends,” the male said extending his hand. Adrien accepted it. “Name’s Nino. Trust me, you and I? I think we’ll be great together, just stick with me and you’ll learn the ropes.”

“You think so?” Adrien asked. Nino fistbumped him.

“Dude, I know so. Hey, if your parents are cool with it, come with me later to the park, right across the street? You know the one, right? There’s this group I’m with, we’re totally cool with music.”

“Sounds… that actually sounds pretty awesome actually,” Adrien admitted. “Yeah, I’d love to come with. This musical group, what kind of style do they…?”

As Nino rambled on animatedly, Adrien smiled. Maybe this year was looking up after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, few notes. One, changing the name of Marinette's butterflies (Tengus) to Tenshi, as it'd technically be more accurate. I know Marinette is half Chinese but Akuma is a Japanese word. So it follows the reverse must be Japanese as well.
> 
> Two, Lila's a toxic friend -even if Marinette doesn't know it yet- so surprise surprise.
> 
> Three, Gabriel? He really tries here, he does.


	6. 6: The Mightillustrator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final day of the year, the final day of this decade and so final chapter... for now at least. Have a very happy New Year, and I do hope to see you again for another chapter come this January.

Lila Rossi was not a happy girl, really. Oh yes, she’d managed to meet up with two superheroes, but here they were getting all the adoration and praise and ALL THAT WAS MEANT FOR HER! It was all she could do to stop her seething from showing in class. Just barely managing to scribble in the answers to the quiz Ms. Mendeleiev had handed out about an hour before.

Or maybe it was two hours, Lila had lost track. Did I forget to mention she hated math? Then again, I suppose, who didn’t? Well, there was that kid Max but he was an out and out nerd. I apologize, dear reader, if you are in fact a nerd of Max’s level, but then again I also apologize for you having to listen to Liar Liar Ugly As All Hell Orange Jacket Hopefully On Fire. Because trust me, if I had my way, you’d be well clear of her. I pity you. But alas, as sad as it is she is one of the main characters in this little venture. Trust me again on this, if I had my way she wouldn’t be. ...Okay, that’s a lie. Irony. I’d have her be a main character anyways because of _ how _detestable she is. C’est la vie, eh?

Lila’s attentions turned back to Nathaniel, who had either already finished his test or more likely had opted out on it to work on his art. Lila really didn’t know what to make of the red-haired boy at times, he was always so quiet with only his friends to bring him out of his shell. She eyed his shirt, so he was a Magma fan huh? That was interesting, she supposed. She didn’t really keep up to date on french bands. She only vaguely knew of this one because of someone at her old school babbling on and on about it, like a desperate fangirl. 

Ugh, like she’d ever sink _ that _low. A girl had to have standards. This annoyed Lila, that she couldn’t get a read on the boy. Being a bitch, you had to know what irked people. For example, if she was trying to ruin her friendship with Marinette she’d comment on some of the tacky clothing she -at least in Lila’s honest opinion- wore. A wannabe fashion designer took pride in their own attire like it had to be a given rule. Nathaniel was a curiosity in many regards, really. 

She’d have to study him more closely, it seemed. Ulp, she swallowed as she watched a familiar face walk up. There was Ms. Mendeleiev. Watching her walk up, she swiped Nathaniel’s papers from his hands, the woman giving her student a stern glare. If anything could melt icebergs, surely she could! “And these artistic endeavors are clearly why you are failing science,” Mendeleiev stated sternly. Lila winced in spite of herself. Harsh, but fair. Honestly, Nathaniel if you wanted to go places and be like Stan Lee or someone at least you could pass school!

“But I…” Nathaniel murmured seemingly thinking about protesting but deciding against it. Once again, he withdrew back into himself. Lila could compare him with a turtle, possibly, hiding in his shell and avoiding conflict at all costs. At least, that was her initial impression. When -or if- he grew a spine that may change. “...I see, yes you’re absolutely right Ms. Mendeleiev. I’ll try to do better, I promise.”

“Promise me nothing and don’t say try. Prove it by doing,” Ms. Mendeleiev said sternly, her icy gaze still on the young boy. Her expression softened, although you had to look real close to see it. “...who knows, maybe this will inspire you with something. Chemical themed villain, it has happened in comics before…”

Nathaniel stared, blinking owlishly before turning to Lila who could only shrug. That was interesting. Who knew she was a fan of comics? Then _ again, _it was a teacher’s job to be supportive so… Well then! Clearly Lila thought to herself, clearly, she would have to reevaluate her opinion on Mendeleiev. She clearly wasn’t as stern as she thought her to be. Okay, maybe she was but there were chinks in her armor. Maybe she could use that.

“What was that about?” Nathaniel could only ask as class let out. “...I mean, that was…”

“Yeah, that was totally something,” Alix piped in. “I mean, I may not be a fan of science but that was actually kinda awesome. I mean, Ms. Bustier is still my personal favorite teacher but Mendeleiev… well, let’s just say my opinion of her is raising. Just a little, not a lot but it’s raising.”

“Really, I’m sure she’s not so bad,” Marinette remarked and Lila had to stop herself from gagging. Always the goody two shoes, this one. And worst yet, Lila couldn’t even make remarks about it unless she wanted to out herself. Not that it would affect Marinette anyways, as she clearly enjoyed her selflessness. “I mean, think about it this way. Stern as she is, Ms. Mendeleiev’s got a point. You can’t exactly afford to slack off in science really.”

“...Yeah, she does have a point,” Nathaniel mumbled to himself clutching his books and his notepad to his chest tightly. Almost like a security blanket, in some ways really. “I do need to pay more attention in class, even if… even if I can’t do my artwork.”

“Don’t you have any time after school for that?” Marinette asked. “I mean, I go out and walk -well, not walk but you know what I mean- around the city and inspiration strikes me. N-Not that I’m trying to make this about m-me or anything. I-I’d never do that!”

“I suppose,” Nathaniel admitted before saying. “It’s just well, as an artist sometimes I get so laser-focused on one thing I forget about another thing. I block everything out of my mind, believe it or not, one time I was so laser-focused on my art I didn’t notice myself getting splashed by a passing car till my sketches went all soggy.”

Marinette winced in sympathy while almost immediately Lila played the part of the comforting friend. She let out a gasp. “Oh no, please don’t tell me you lost anything?”

“Months of work…” Nathaniel said fighting back a sniffle.

“Haven’t you thought about a tablet?” Lila asked. “Yeah, sure they don’t do well in water but unless you drop it in a fountain of something you should be fine. Can’t you back up files on a Cloud or something?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m saving up for one, and I’m hoping I get one come Hanukkah,” Nathaniel said. “But still, there’s nothing quite like a good old fashioned pen and paper.”

“I know right?” Lila said even though she really didn’t know. Tablets and technology were the wave of the future for her. Quite honestly, she preferred not to touch dusty old books unless she had to. “Ooooh, the smell of the paper and the sound of it…”

“Finally, someone who gets me!” Nathaniel said his eyes lighting up, practically sparkling. “For a lot of people, it’s all tablets and this and that, but sketchbooks if you ask me never go out of style. How long has paper been in use? Since ancient Egypt, oh of course it was called papyrus then but still same general thing. The Egyptians used it, the Chinese perfected it -thank you Marinette- and now here we are tossing it aside for the new thing. But that’s the way life is I suppose…”

“But I thought you said you wanted a tablet for Hanukkah?” Lila asked in honest confusion. “But here you are decrying them.”

“Oh no no, I’m not doing that,” Nathaniel said. “Hardly, tablets are beyond practical. I mean, you said it yourself unless I drop it in a fountain or something I’d never lose my work. It’s just the feel and the smell of paper is something you don’t just forget…” 

Here he blushed, Nathaniel realizing just how much he’d been practically gushing about the merits of both paper and tablet. “B-But that is,” he stammered out curling back into himself. “If you like tablets and prefer the wave of the future over anything else than who am I to stop you? B-Because the w-world is changing, and a-all that…”

Here Marinette and Alix shared a look as Lila and their friend talked animatedly. Well, this was new. In only a matter of a short week the Italian had managed to bring the normally shy boy out of his shell, if only just a bit. 

“Oh, if those two start dating then I will not be surprised,” Alix said in a hushed whisper. “I just don’t want to be around when they start swapping spit and trying to force each other’s tongues down their throat. Yuck. No, just no.”

It was a not particularly well-kept secret amongst the group that Alix was not really that interested in sex. Oh sure, it had caught them all by surprise when she said it, but not really. She just never seemed to have her eyes wander like the rest of them did. Nathaniel envied her, being in that awkward teenage boy state that basically made his eyes want to wander every which way. It was even worse for him, really considering his eyes wandered to both genders. The locker rooms, as you could imagine were hell. There was Kim, alright? The Vietnamese boy may have had a bit of an ego but watching him come in after dodgeball all sweaty… Hoo boy, Nathaniel was lucky if he didn’t have to excuse himself and hoped nobody caught on as to why. And heaven forbid if Marinette ever caught him looking at her. While he was certainly not going all doe-eyed anytime soon, -he’d never hear the end of it from Alix and would never be able to look Marinette in the eye anytime soon!- he couldn’t deny she was cute. Cute in that baker’s daughter, girl next door type way. She was petite, and actually looked rather vulnerable thanks to that chair of hers. Though if you said that to her face heaven help you as underneath that shy exterior lurked a bit of a spitfire. Nathaniel wished he was so gifted. And then there were her arms… yikes, spending all that time kneading dough did wonders for her physique. While Nathaniel wasn’t a fan of muscle girls, he couldn’t deny Marinette had them. 

“Oh, I am so captain of this ship,” Marinette whispered as the group continued on to their next class. “So what should we do? Do the old cliche lock them in a room together type thing?”

“...You’ve been reading too many trashy romance novels, Mari,” Alix commented. “...Gah, can’t believe you talked me into this, talking about boys. You’ve betrayed my trust Mari!” she drawled.

Their conversation soon faded as they walked into the library, Lila curling up next to Nathaniel in such a way that if it were anyone else, it’d be cute. Actually, it still sorta was if you looked past the entire fact that Lila was a sociopath who only wanted a ticket to the top. Nathaniel, of course, was using this time to delve back into his sketchbooks as usual. He was doodling away, and out of curiosity Lila peered over and her eyes widened. 

On the pages, as Nathaniel doodled away like a man possessed were two figures fighting back to back. One page had them like this, fighting featureless… well, Lila could only assume featureless demons and the next had them in an embrace. But it was the features of the heroes themselves -well, Lila could only assume they were heroes- that caught her eye. One was so obviously Marinette with just a mask on and wearing metal braces. The other was Nathaniel, dressed like a classic artist with complete with smock and beret. 

“You know, doing that without someone’s express permission is seriously creepy, right?” Lila remarked. “I mean, I’m sure Marinette -or Hell, even me for that matter- would have gladly loaned you our likenesses if you just _ asked…” _

“I-I was just using her as inspiration!” Nathaniel stuttered out, closing his sketchbook and defending himself. Lila snorted in disbelief, anyone with half a brain could tell he was lying out of his ass. And Lila knew liars. 

“This is so obviously Marinette with a mask it hurts,” Lila drawled. “And it’s obvious that the other person is… Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. You have a crush on her don’t you?”

“W-Well no, b-but I can’t deny that she’s v-very pretty,” Nathaniel said quietly. Lila snatched the sketchbook from him and shoved it in his face. The pages were in direct view. “S-So what?”

“Honestly…” Lila muttered shaking her head as Nathaniel snatched his sketchbook back before anyone else could see. Like Chloe, for instance. If she ever saw this, the whole school would know about it within the hour. 

_ “This boy’s hopelessly clueless, honestly. Cute, but hopefully clueless. Oh great, now I’m thinking he’s cute,” _ Lila thought to herself. _ “Well, I suppose he is in that sad pathetic puppy type of way.” _

Her ears perked up, almost like a fox’s as she heard another voice. One she was painfully familiar with. “HA! You think you could be friends with _ my _Adrien?” Chloe remarked, and in one corner was Agreste and another was this kid in a green shirt and wearing glasses. Max Kanté if Lila remembered right. She’d seen him in science, doing all of his work in record time. True whiz-kid.

“My calculations indicate that-” Max tried to start before being swiftly cut off by Chloe.

“Yes, well your calculations need a recount, as they don’t mean squat around me. I ask again, you think you can be friends with _ my _Adrien? Don’t make me laugh. Go spend time with your computer, as if Adrien would ever lower himself to be friends with you.”

“Actually Chlo…” Adrien tried to speak up, quiet as a mouse. “I think it might be beneficial to me and you if I did spend time around Max. If my grades aren’t kept exactly right, father will pull me out of school.”

Huh, so the little kitty did have claws after all. And he was another one of those goody-two-shoes types. Heaven forbid he and Marinette actually _ did _become friends of some sort.

“Oh God, you’re right!” Chloe whispered to herself, hoping she’d gone unheard. Obviously, she hadn’t. Turning back to Max, she said: “Forget all of what I said just now. Go on, be friends with Adrien for all I care.”

“Chloe…” Adrien grumbled as he followed after her. “You’re being mean again. I need to make other friends. I mean, between you and Felix…”

“Yes, well two friends is enough if you ask me. Adrien, you need to learn how the world works. You’re new to this school, you don’t know how that works either,” Chloe remarked. “So let me give you a bit of info on the downlow. People are vicious and cruel, and if you’re not careful you might end up being used and all. I’m just looking out for you, fame’s a dangerous thing to people such as you or I. There are those you need to worry about!” she babbled. Perhaps she really did care in some small way, or maybe not. Maybe she was just being a bitch as usual.

“I’m pretty sure you’re someone everyone needs to worry about…” Nathaniel muttered surprising even himself with his boldness. “Toxic witch.”

“Yeeeeeeeeah,” Lila agreed. “I know what you mean, I don’t like to wish anybody ill will, but her… Yikes.”

One could almost be forgiven to think Lila actually cared. Of course, she didn’t though. In fact, she was just watching and waiting. College was a turmoil of emotions, a melting pot. Any moment now, with Chloe on the warpath -even now she was commenting on Kim and Ivan’s hygiene- there would be a perfect moment for her to strike. Perfect fuel for one of her amoks, and then she could try again and draw out the Bee and the Butterfly. Her Bee, and her Butterfly. Admittedly, someone having the Bee was unexpected, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

As for Adrien, with each little rejection, Chloe made he grew progressively more annoyed. She’d already gotten things off to a bad start between him and Marinette and now here she went again. To be honest, he was surprised by how much he let Chloe speak for him really. And he didn’t like it. But how to break it to her was another matter. Eventually, and thankfully, he managed to get away from her. 

“....Good grief…” he muttered as he leaned up against a wall. Chloe was down in the courtyard below, beleaguering some poor student. He sighed, when did she become so nasty? Or -perhaps more importantly- when did he only now just start to notice?

“I’m sorry you have to be friends with her,” Nathaniel said sympathetically as he walked up. “Nathaniel Kurtzberg.”

“...Right, you’re one of Marinette’s friends aren’t you?” Adrien said his eyes widened in realization. He glanced down to Nathaniel’s outstretched hand, hesitant to take it. “L-Look, if you see her again can you tell her that…?”

“Relax, I know you didn’t mean anything by what you did, I saw it all. Lila was probably just mistaken that’s all. And besides, Marinette doesn’t hold grudges that long really. Give her a day or two, and she’ll have probably forgotten all about it.”

“You sure?” Adrien asked the red-head. “How do I know Marinette didn’t put you up to this and I’m not just being punked?”

“Does Marinette seem like that kind of girl?” Nathaniel deadpanned. 

“Right…” Adrien admitted. “I see your point. Still, I doubt Chloe will be pleased.”

“Yes, well, Chloe’s hardly an expert on all things friendship, is she?” Nathaniel remarked in that quiet way of his. “Just look at how she treats Sabrina!”

“I’ve noticed,” Adrien sighed. “I don’t know why I’ve never spoken up about it, but I’ve noticed. She was my first friend I suppose, maybe I don’t want to lose her.”

“...I see,” Nathaniel sighed. “Well, if she’s truly your friend maybe she’ll understand.”

“Yeah, maybe…” Adrien whispered.

\------------

  
  


As soon as she was able, Lila pulled out a small octagonal box, with oriental designs covering it from her pocket. She opened it, and out came Duusu. The little kwami scowled at her, not that it had much of an affect.

“So Mistress,” Duusu said though it was quite obvious to anyone she was forcing the words out. “Do you have anyone in mind to amokatize? High schools are a breeding ground for raw emotion.”

“Don’t treat me like I’m stupid, you little blue annoyance,” Lila snapped. “In fact, if I had the ability I’d keep you from speaking at all!”

Duusu wisely chose not to divulge she could do that.

“And anyways, what the hell are you supposed to be? A hermaphrodite, because no female peahen I know about has those feathers of yours,” Lila scowled. “So seriously, fess up!”

“Actually yes,” Duusu said in a remarkably calm tone for her. Though if you listened closely you could detect her seething with rage. “I decided I liked being a girl better than a boy, so there I went and changed my gender. Do you have a problem with that, or are you a bigot as well as callous?”

Lila actually went and shut up for a few moments, stunned into silence by Duusu’s proclamation. “...actually no, I don’t care really,” Lila muttered after she finally regained the power of speech. “Like, I legitimately don’t care. Like, I know I’m a terrible person and all, but you be you. You’re just a tool for me, a means to an end. Got that?”

At this, the dam finally broke again and Duusu started sobbing. Lila wanted to cover her ears or bang her head against something. Just… anything to silence the birdbrained kwami. “Must you be such a drama queen… king… whatever? Great, I don’t even know what to refer you by anymore. Now you had to go ahead and make this complicated!” she said waspishly.

Duusu was smirking, Lila was sure of it. “Pleased to serve, Mistress!” she chirped seemingly switching from heartbroken to chipper in a matter of moments. Maybe Duusu was just insane, yeah that was it Lila reasoned. The little blue thing was just as crazy as she was. A different kind of crazy, but still crazy.

“So Mistress, I ask again, if only because I’m forced to by our magic,” Duusu sneered. “Did you find anyone who you might want to amokatize for today? Or do you want to go solo and draw out the heroes by yourself?”

Too late Duusu realized she’d done that most horrible of things and given Lila an actual idea. Yeah, maybe she should just tell Lila to silence her. At least that way, Duusu reasoned, she’d do less damage.

“See Duusu, now you’re actually earning your keep,” Lila said tossing the little creature some berries. She wasn’t completely self-absorbed after all, she did know everything had to eat something. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“I’m not sure what there is to be thankful about!” Duusu snarked. “But if it pleases my mistress, then so be it!”

“Duusu, just be silent and spread my feathers,” Lila said as she transformed into her other identity, taking to the rooftops with the help of her fan. Seeing Paris from this point of view, well it was a thrill she had to admit. She could see it all, and feel everything. Oh, she now knew grabbing Duusu surely had to be destiny, even if the kwami was really quite mouthy at times. 

“Oh well, I suppose I can wait a little bit for the bug and the bee to show up,” Lila decided reaching into her bookbag. “One doesn’t get a view this good that often and to be honest as much as I don’t put stock into that zen nonsense it is quite calming up here…” she decided as a gentle breeze blew through her hair. 

Pulling out her pen, she sighed. Supervillainy wasn’t all glitz and glamour, no what they didn’t tell you about was you had to keep up with both lives. And that meant doing your schoolwork no matter how much you hate it. After a few moments of working on some equations, Lila sighed to herself. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed help here and what better source than a thousands of years old God turned Goddess? 

“Duusu, fall my feathers...” she uttered wishing she had a more grammatically correct transformation phrase. What, she wasn’t allowed to be a bit of a Grammer Nazi? Okay, yeah, this was something most supervillains probably didn’t have to worry about. Real life worries and all that. They probably were holed up in their volcanic lairs with their ill-gotten gains and counting their money guarded by laser sharks or something like that. 

“So, Mistress has realized she is an idiot in some regards?” Duusu sneered.

“Why you little…” Lila started before realizing this probably wasn’t going to get her anywhere. “Okay, yeah. I do need help, here. Look, I’m terrible at maths okay? So maybe you could lend a feather or two? I mean, as old as you are, surely you were around when Archimedes was around or something…”

“And I should help my Mistress why?” Duusu asked. “If anything, I as a kwami should watch you fail.”

“It’s because I am your mistress remember?” Lila pointed out and Duusu hung her head at the reminder. 

“So you are… so you are,” Duusu grumbled in distaste before squinting as she peered over to her mistress’ notebook. She suppressed the urge to facepalm before taking a deep breath and saying: “Okay, first off you’ve got your equations set up all wrong…”

\------------

Nathaniel, for his part after school had let out, had taken Marinette’s advice and just wandered the city. He soon found himself sitting at a little cafe at 2 Rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame, the famous cathedral rising tall and proud, bells tolling over the city. Passersby went about their business and the cafe, L'Esmeralda served wonderful desert. Nowhere near as good as the stuff Tom and Sabine made, but passable. 

_ “You lost, son?” a warm voice asked and Nathaniel looked up from his doodlings to see a rather heavily built man. Not fat in any regard, but muscled with a little brown mustache. “I’m sorry, it’s just, I haven’t seen you around these parts, that’s all.” _

_ “Most don’t see me,” Nathaniel said as he continued doodling, too shy to meet the man’s eyes. Too laser-focused to do anything else. “I prefer it that way, to be honest.” _

_ “Well, you could at least come in out of the sun, okay?” the man, who Nathaniel would later learn was called Tom said. “That way you could draw to your heart’s content without getting heatstroke.” _

_ His voice was warm, fatherly. And because of it, Nathaniel found himself following him into the nearby bakery, where warm smells greeted him and cafe patrons ate their sweet treats. Either in silence, or chatting animatedly away with the other patrons. At the counter was a girl about his age, serving up an order of macarons to this girl with dirty blond hair. “Marinette…” Nathaniel breathed out in realization, having heard Alix talk about her friend several times. _

_ “Oh Marinette, don’t forget Ms. Chamack is coming by later for that cake of hers, you know the one right?” a female voice asked from upstairs, a Chinese accent mixed with French. _

_ “Yes maman, I know the one. the Leaning Tower of Pisa cake for her sister’s wedding right?” Marinette said chipperly and leaving Nathaniel to wonder who ordered such a thing. Actually, how did you even make a cake lean without toppling over completely? Nathaniel had a respect for bakers, especially ones of the calibur who worked here. Nathaniel had heard of the bakery, the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. It was always said that they made the best bread in all of Paris, a fact the Kurtzberg family held steadfast to. They’d custom ordered bread for their son’s Bar Mitzvah just a year or so ago. And they kept ordering from them ever since. _

_ Nathaniel could understand why. It felt like heaven was melting in your mouth with some of the stuff they created, and if God had one gift to the world it surely must have been this place. Or something like that. He smiled at Marinette, who gave him a smile back. Alix had mentioned the girl a few times since… the accident. Everybody at Dupont had heard about it, given some of the students like Max and Kim had known Marinette since they were babies. None of them were especially close to her, but they knew of her. She’d always been this little ray of sunshine, and just hearing about the horrible accident was… well, it was something. Alix had been nearly inconsolable for a week, and although she would deny it if anyone ever asked she had broken down crying several times for her part in all of this. Even Chloe, of all people, had backed off just for that week. Just for that week, then she was back to normal. _

_ Strangely, Nathaniel had noted, Sabrina of all people had sent Marinette a get well soon card. Several actually. Possibly without Chloe’s knowledge, and he doubted Chloe had forced her into it. Of course not, as Chloe and Marinette were never friends. He did have to wonder, if Sabrina ever broke away -unlikely as it was, as she was too quiet of a girl to stand up to Chloe- would she ever make real friends with someone? Well, if she ever did Nathaniel would have been one of the first to offer a hand. _

_ “Nathaniel, right?” Marinette said rolling herself over to the Jewish boy’s table. “Alix mentioned you a few times, you’re her next-door neighbor right? Said you’re always drawing?” _

_ “Y-Yeah, I-I am…” Nathaniel stuttered out. “W-Why? I-It’s just because I like to create, that’s all.” _

_ “I-I do a bit of artwork myself, actually,” Nathaniel was told, Marinette stuttering over her words as much as he did. Oh right, he reminded himself. Alix had mentioned that she was as shy as he was. Possibly… probably due to having to put up with Chloe for a few odd years, being her favorite target and all. “Y-Yeah, o-of course I do! Y-Yeah! I want to be a fashion designer and all, so I do a bit of sketchwork here and there.” _

_ “A very admirable dream, Marinette,” Nathaniel replied finding himself more and more at ease with the bluenette. “You should shoot for the stars, who knows you might make it big one day. Maybe be on Project Runway or at the Paris Fashion Week!” _

_ “That’s what I keep telling her dear,” Sabine said as she came down to man the counter seeing her daughter making a new friend. She smiled at this, the polite boy was probably the best fit for her daughter. Ooooh, who knew? Maybe one day he’d give her grandchildren to spoil and fuss over! “Marinette style, chic and unique!” _

_ “O-Oh, I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere like that anytime soon,” Marinette mumbled to herself, flushing a bright shade of red. “N-Not with my levels of work…” _

_ “Oh, I don’t know,” Sabine remarked with an impish smile that Nathaniel wasn’t quite sure fit the gentle woman. “You had this interesting selection of work just last week, didn’t you title it Coccinelle Couture?” _

_ And of course, once all was said and done Marinette went into one of her usual blushing and stuttering fits. It was cute, in that kind of socially awkward way only someone as equally awkward could know. “Y-Yes w-well M-Maman I soon rejected it afterwards, it didn’t really fit with anything I wanted to do.” _

_ “Good thing I saved it then~!” Sabine chimed in serving up a plate of macarons to another customer. “Who knows, maybe one day you’ll get scouted by Gabriel.” _

_ “M-Maman!” Marinette stammered. “He just helped me… us, get back on our feet, so to speak, and that was that. I doubt he’ll take notice of my work…” _

_ “Not if you don’t show it to him sometime, Marinette,” Sabine replied. “I’m just saying. There’s a reason I comb through your trash, Marinette. I’m of the mind no idea should go unwasted, as who knows it may seem like a good one at a later date…” _

_ “ACK!” Marinette squawked in a rather indigent fashion while Sabine and Nathaniel shared a look. Nathaniel had to fight back a laugh, and save what was left of the poor girl’s dignity. “M-MAMAN!” _

_ Nathaniel smiled, and almost at once went to work in his sketchbook doing rough concepts of the scene around him, the two Chengs and their bakery. Tom in the background, kneading the dough, and the cafe goers going about their days. It was a very warm and inviting sort of scene. The kind you saw on the TV or in a movie but you never thought to be a reality, and yet here it was right in front of your eyes. _

_ Sabine soon left the room, humming to herself a little tune. Marinette soon returned to the counter, but Nathaniel stayed watching her work and continuing to sketch. _

_ “You like doing that, don’t you?” the same dirty blond asked, making Nathaniel make out a very unmanly sort of yelp. Apparently, she had forgotten her favorite purse, one as yellow as the sun. “Well, if you want I can set you and Mari here up on a date, maybe you two can share notes eh?” _

_ “A-AURORE!” Marinette stammered out blushing a bright beet red, and Nathaniel wasn’t that far behind actually. _

_ “What, I’m not kidding,” Aurore remarked. “Personally, I think you’d make a cute couple. The artist and the fashion designer, the two sketchaholics! Really, girl, you need to get out in the world a little more.” _

_ “I get out in the world just fine,” Marinette refuted. In hindsight, Nathaniel would probably blame Aurore for him getting a crush on Marinette and sketching her and him together from time to time. “I take strolls around the neighborhood.” _

_ “Hmm, true, but you know what’s better than experiencing the beauty of Paris?” Aurore asked with a small little impish smile. It was actually sorta similar to Sabine’s own, Nathaniel wondered if Aurore had picked up the habit from her. Or maybe it was vice versa. “Experiencing the beauty of Paris with a friend! A boyfriend even!” _

_ Marinette groaned, and then there came an audible thud. Nathaniel looked up from his doodlings and saw Marinette had banged her head on the counter. C’est la vie! _

_ Yeah, he knew he would get along with these two just fine. “Wait, you take strolls around Paris?” Nathaniel asked still looking at Marinette. “I-Isn’t it a bit dangerous? W-With your condition and all?” _

_ He facepalmed mentally, nice going there, Nath. Real nice. Score one for social screw-ups, really. Now, let’s see if he could go for scoring two! _

_ “Really Nathaniel?” Marinette asked crossing her arms and huffing a little. A cute little huff, but still a huff. “I think I can handle myself, nobody ever attacks a disabled girl. And if they did… well, that’s what I have the pepper spray for, right?” _

_ “W-Well, you n-never know, right?” Nathaniel asked. There was something about Marinette, she had this… joie de vivre about her, not really all that concerned about her condition. In hindsight, no this was what attracted him to her. This mysterious little je ne sais pas. _

_ “Oooooh, so you’re asking to be her little knight in shining armor?” Aurore teased, and for a moment Nathaniel was reminded of Alix actually. Why did he have this feeling that they’d get along just great? _

_ “W-Well, no, but…” Nathaniel stammered out that bright red blush returning. “I mean, I could offer to take her out on a stroll through Paris. Show her my part of the city, maybe she can get some design inspiration from there?” _

_ “Ooooooh, I’d like that!” Marinette said wheeling herself over to Nathaniel and hugging him tightly. Ooof, her hugs were less of a hug and more of a glomp, she was a bit of a cuddle bug really. He’d hated to have been tacked by her if she could actually walk. Now that would have been like being hugged by a bear probably. In the background, unknownst to them -at least until they heard the click of the camera- Aurore was taking a picture of the two. _

_ “See Mari, this is why you should listen to me more often, eh?” Aurore remarked with a little smug smile. “See, when have I ever steered you wrong?” _

_ “Well, there was that jumper you recommended to me once, I’m not sure any amount of modifications could save it from that horrendous color…” Marinette grumbled to herself in obvious distaste. _

_ “Okay, once. ONCE!” Aurore amended. “But just once!” _

_ So that was how Nathaniel found himself wheeling Marinette through his side of Paris, after catching a cab across town. There they were, at the Quinze-Vingts quartier, 12th arrondissement in what could only be called the most colorful streets in Paris. The Rue Crémieux, and already -after babbling to Nathaniel how lucky he was to live here, of course- Marinette was hard at work using the colors for what could probably end up as someone’s summer line. Yellows, blues, pinks and all in pastel shades. Yeah, Nathaniel decided then and there, watching the bluenette hard at work. He could totally live with this. He totally could. _

Back in the present day, things weren’t so sunny for Nathaniel any more. He looked up, and saw a figure leap over his head. Screams erupted as the blue-toned figure addressed them from atop the Notre Dame.

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed as he immediately began sketching the figure. The Blue Peacock, hopefully with his help the heroes of Paris might be able to identify them. _ “Damn it, can’t you be any closer, I need to get a better view of your face!” _

“So, if the Bug and the Bee don’t show themselves,” the Peacock addressed the terrified civilians, some with cameras out. Nathaniel spotted a patch of blond hair in the crowd, seemingly sun-kissed. He swore, did that boy have a death wish or something? “...Well then, I create a Sentimonster and wreck the Notre Dame. Bells won’t be ring a ding dinging anymore!”

Although in truth, and nobody would ever know this, Lila had no intention of backing up on this threat. She appreciated the iconic cathedral as much as anyone else. Still, whatever worked to bring out the Bug and the Bee! Then a nearly supersonic yellow and black blur collided with the Peacock themed supervillainous, had she not leaped back. A spinning top came at her several times, thrown almost like a rocket. 

Lila’s eyes narrowed, and she flipped backwards off Notre Dame as Honeybee followed, the two battling it out in the park below. Civilians scattered and Lila slashed at Honeybee with her fan. The top was then spun around like a shield. It was seemingly impossible to use a child’s toy like this, but here it was. Nathaniel’s hand sketched like lightning, and then he felt it.

_ “Le Dessinateur, my champion,” _ Papillion’s voice came and the newly named Le Dessinateur saw a brief flash of a woman in purple. A vague inkling of a face. _ “You must retrieve Paon’s Miraculous, and return it to me so it can be kept out of evil’s reach. Do you understand?” _

_ “Yes, I do My Lady,” _ Nathaniel said taking in the name. Le Dessinateur, the illustrator huh? Fitting. _ “Though if you ask me, I think Mightillustrator sounds more heroic.” _

_ “Very well then. Now go!” _ Lady Papillon said and Mightillustrator emerged from his cocoon in a flash of purple light. He found himself not looking at all that dissimilar to his Super Nathan -wow he needed to work on the name- sketches, smock and all. A tablet was in his hand, and he knew exactly what to do with. A wall suddenly sprung up from the ground, in front of Paon bleu. 

Mightillustrator and Honeybee shared a look. “You hit him high, and I’ll hit him low!” he said suddenly feeling more confident. 

“Just try to keep up with this bee, alright?” Honeybee remarked throwing her top and shooting forwards around Notre Dame’s bell towers. Meanwhile, Paon’s attention was fully on the new hero. Mightillustrator dodged left and right from the strikes of his(?) fan creating more walls to block attacks. 

He quickly got an idea just as he saw a yellow form rushing up to meet Paon from behind. Drawing on his inner Kyle Rayner, Mightillustrator created a giant mech to squash Paon flat. The peacock villain rolled to the left before she had to leap backwards to avoid being shot to pieces by laser blasts. Then she heard it. A shout of “VENOM!”

Reaching out, Paon grabbed Honeybee by the arm and tossed her into the ground. Again, the two shared a nod and Mightillustrator drew twin paintball guns. Tossing one to Honeybee, she smiled. “Best battle ever!” she declared and the two let Paon have it. 

The peacock was forced to make a run for it as splatters of paint followed her every move. She slashed with her fan and razor-sharp feathers came flying at the twosome. Both let out cries of pain as the paintball guns were ripped from their grasp. Blood had been drawn. A beeping alerted Honeybee to how much time she had left. Only three minutes. Mightillustrator frowned, they had to finish this up fast. Either bring in Paon, or fight the villain another day.

Paon lunged and slashed at them with his fan, Mightillustrator creating a wall to block the attack. Honeybee leaped out from over it and got in a good solid punch to the face, and then kneed Paon in the stomach. The peacock user let out a cry of pain before whirling around to roundhouse kick Honeybee. She grabbed the peacock user by the foot, and twisted. Paon spun in midair for a moment before Honeybee kicked her through a tree. 

Two minutes now. Mightillustrator thought fast even as Paon was on the rebound. Drawing a series of cages, it was only thanks to Paon’s pure speed that they were avoided. Again, in the background, Mightillustrator’s eyes caught a glimpse of that sunkissed blond hair. And now Paon had noticed it as well. And Honeybee had noticed Paon noticing.

“Agreste, run for it!” Honeybee shouted, and Adrien started to before Paon was in front of him.

“Let me go, or the boy gets it,” Paon threatened and both Mightillustrator and Honeybee shared a look. “I’m serious kiddies, does this look like I’m playing around?”

“And does this?” Mightillustrator asked reacting fast as he drew another mech, grabbing Paon. He shook the villain, before tossing Paon to the other side of the city. Honeybee’s comb beeped urgently, one minute left. 

“S-Stay out of harms’ way okay, Agreste?” Honeybee asked before with a zip she was off. Mightillustrator for his part, found himself swarmed by crowds asking for his autograph. With a sheepish little laugh, he held up a pen. The life of a superhero, he supposed…

Back at school, Lila was seething as Nathaniel found himself fairly popular after becoming a Champion. It really didn’t help he found himself having to show off his doodles of how the battle went to his class. She groaned and hit her head up against a bookcase, causing a book to fall on top of her head. She officially hated today.


	7. 7: The Tagger

“Man oh man, Paon Bleu seemed pissy didn’t she? After that last fight, and she ran away like a coward to boot!” Alix babbled that next day. It was a weekend, so no school. Marinette personally thanked the gods, between schoolwork and now this she couldn’t even. Like, she really couldn’t even deal with the pressure. She wondered if Superhero Therapy existed. Or Superhero Massages, because clearly she couldn’t just wheel herself into a regular massage parlor and tell them all about her super secret little problems.

Then Marinette blinked at Alix’s words. _ She? _ How did she figure that? Oh well, Marinette supposed it was entirely possible Paon was a girl, but oooof, she certainly didn’t hit like one. Here Marinette made an apology to her own gender. Seriously, she could feel Paon’s punches through her connection with Mightillustrator and man, they hurt. It was like being hit by a ten-ton car. Which Marinette knew very well how _ that _felt. 

“She?” she questioned looking towards Alix, and here Marinette looked a bit like she’d been hit over the head with a codfish. She turned her attention back to her work, a ball gown that was bright screaming yellow. Too screaming yellow for her tastes, maybe Honeybee could have rocked it but she doubted anyone else could. Ripping it from her sketchbook, she tossed it to the winds. “What makes you say Paon’s a she?”

Alix laughed as she rollerbladed by, Aurore nearby resting up against a tree parasol at her feet. “Yep, Paon’s definitely a girl, like she seriously is,” the Amazigh girl remarked. “Seriously, nobody has more of a penchant for spectacle than a drama queen. Case in point, yesterday and Notre Dame. So, a girl then. Definitely a girl. Possibly, probably Chloe.”

“Okay, A, Chloe’s nowhere near smart enough to be a supervillain, and B, I didn’t even know you knew the word penchant nor spectacle for that matter,” Aurore said as she walked over, parasol now in hand and flipped open. “Color me surprised.”

“Hey, okay, I read! I’m not a blond!” Alix said before she realized who she was talking to. “...Oof, yeah, right. Sorry!”

“No, I accept that,” Aurore shrugged. “I mean, it’s a sorta well-deserved reputation. I mean, considering _ Chloe _exists and she definitely fits the stereotype of a dumb blonde. In spades even!” she laughed.

“Ha, ain’t that the truth,” Alix said as she fist-bumped her friend. “Bien joué! Still, I’m pretty sure she’s probably not who Papillon and Honeybee are looking for. If Chloe were Miss L'oiseau bleu, I’m pretty sure she’d have announced it to the world, and transformed in front of us and everything.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at Alix’s nickname for Paon. L'oiseau bleu, as in that play by Albert Wolff? She was full of surprises, wasn’t she? Then again, her older brother and her papa were both opera fans so maybe she shouldn’t have been all _ that _ surprised. Clearly, whoever Paon was, they had less imagination than Alix. “Oh come on now!” Aurore commented. “Yeah, Chloe’s dumb, but she’s not _ that _dumb… is she?” 

“She is, okay this is the girl who came into Mr. Markoff’s class with her idea of ‘art’ being a collage of selfies. She is _ that _dumb,” Alix pointed out with a snort. 

“No, that’s narcissism, not stupidity,” Aurore pointed out in turn. “There’s a difference between the two.”

“There is?” Alix blinked before she drawled: “...well, you coulda fooled me.”

“Bien joué again girl,” Aurore chuckled. “Yeah, that’s a sick burn alright. I think Chloe’s going to need some ice for that!”

“H-Hey, you mind keeping it down over there?” Nathaniel asked, looking over from his easel and paints. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, simply adorable with his little paint-splattered smock and beret. Or adorkable, if Marinette remembered how Aurore put it. “I need to concentrate.”

Marinette wheeled herself over to her friend and watched the gentle brushstrokes with an air of amazement. While the boy never spoke much, at least in public, he may not have needed to as his art spoke for itself.

“Nathaniel, it’s beautiful…” she breathed. And it was. The scene in front of her, while not completely finished was beginning to take shape. Soft gentle brushstrokes had captured the action of the park around him, Nathaniel even managing to throw in some gently wafting leaves on the breeze. Alix was depicted in the picture, doing some stunt off a half-pipe, while the Arc De Triomphe rose tall and proud in the background with the sun shining off the stonework. Aurore and Marinette had found themselves in the picture as well. Aurore with her back to the viewer, her parasol fully opened and protecting her from the Parisian sun. Marinette was in a similar predicament, papers being tossed to the winds as she worked hard on her next design. 

Marinette’s nose wrinkled, she didn’t throw away _ that _many designs? Did she? Here Marinette looked to Aurore for confirmation, and the Beauréal gave a ‘little bit’ gesture with her hand. Then Aurore peered over to see Nathaniel’s artwork for herself and she gave a soft gasp. “Nathaniel, it’s… this is amazing. Like, this is seriously amazing. Are you sure you’re not ready to take commissions?” 

“No… No, it’s nothing really,” Nathaniel uttered to himself softly, retreating back into his shell. “...It… it still needs a bit of work and… and all of that really…” 

“Pah, needs a bit of work my ass!” Alix said as she walked up having seen what was going on. She’d put her rollerblades to the side for the moment. Adjusting her cap, she sat down on a nearby bench, right next to her best friend. Wrapping an arm around the teen, she smiled at him. “Really Nath, you need confidence man! Confidence! And I know you’ve got plenty of it, don’t think I didn’t see you chumming it up with Lila. Good going, man!”

She reached out her hand to give Nathaniel a high five, but when it was obvious that it wouldn’t be returned she settled for punching him in the shoulder instead. “Just sayin’... You and Lila look adorably cute together. Like, teeth-rottenly even! Ugh, worried I’m going to get diabetes from just being around you two,” Alix continued. “Seriously, you two work well together. Why not just go up to her and ask her out? This is Paris, the most romantic city on the planet -loathe as I am to admit it- isn’t it?”

“Alix Kubdel,” Aurore beamed, her smile as bright as a warm summer’s day. Fitting, really.. “Matchmaker extraordinaire!”

“I...I…” Nathaniel stammered out. “...I’m just not sure. I mean, she’s beautiful, and I’m just socially awkward. There are much better choices in boys for her…”

Here Alix looked at Marinette and hissed out: “See, you did this to me. You made me into a matchmaker with your babblings yesterday!” 

Both Aurore and Marinette shared a look, sweat dropping. Up above, hidden way out of sight were their Kwamis. Pollen buzzed about the trees, Nooroo gently fluttering behind her. “Yeah, just sayin’?” Pollen remarked as she spun casually about. “Your holder, she’s got some weird friends. Sweet in their own ways, but still weird.”

“Yeah, I-I suppose I know what you mean,” Nooroo stammered out sounding much like his holder. Pollen had always been the more confident of the two, she had to be given she kept the harmony in the hive. Nooroo, being the way he was tended to hang back in large social gatherings. He only spoke up when needed. These past few weeks were the most he’d actually spoken in the last decade. Actually, given the current situation and his current holder probably wasn’t that unusual in retrospect. “That Nathaniel boy, he’s as shy as a mouse. He’d make a good fox, detail-oriented as he is but I’m, -and forgive me for this- doubting he’d make a good holder. At least right now.”

“Yes, well he may surprise you yet. Marinette, she picked him out for stopping Paon yesterday, and he seemed to do pretty well, I’d say,” Pollen commented. “Very creative tactics. Emphasis on _ creative. _ If Master Fu wasn’t so worried about so many Miraculous out in the open right now, I’d put in a recommendation for Trixx to come and give us a hand.”

“A lot more creative than your own,” Nooroo stated. “Twice your Bee has tried the same trick, and twice she’s been knocked flat on her ass.”

“Oh, so you can swear, I’m surprised,” Pollen teased before her face fell. “But yes, I know what you mean. Aurore is a good candidate for me, personality-wise but her tactics… they leave a bit to be desired. Part of it, I think, is her general enthusiasm to be a superhero. Well, that’s all well and good, but she doesn’t really plan ahead all too much. Takes the direct approach.”

“Okay, so not a good idea for her to meet Plagg then,” Nooroo joked although he shared Pollen’s sentiments. Maybe he would have one of Marinette’s champions… suggest a change in plans. Oh Kwamis, he so wished the Order was still around, this is what they did. Train people as best as they could. Master Fu was okay, he supposed, but he only knew so much on account of his… mistake. 

“I didn’t think it was a good idea for anyone to meet that cat,” Pollen said with more than a faint note of derision. Her cheeks puffed up in anger, and a loud buzz filled the air. “He’s lazy, unreliable, and craves far more camembert than should be legal. Remember the whole El Plaggo thing? Honestly, maturing that stuff for nine hundred and ninety-nine years! Disgusting, simply disgusting! I can see why Tikki calls him Stinky Sock!”

Nooroo thought it polite not to mention that Stinky Sock was a term of affection from Tikki, at least that’s how he heard it. Sensing Pollen was working herself up into a rant, Nooroo did what he always did. He rubbed her shoulders, and just whispered calming words in an ancient language never heard by man into her ears. Back and forth, back and forth his tiny hands went and whispered words in tongues long since unspoken. And slowly but surely, Pollen began to calm herself, her angry buzzing calming itself. “Plagg is also freeing, I remember some of the best black cats were people who needed his carefree attitude.”

“What, like Jack the Ripper?” Pollen said, her head whirling around so she could look him in the eyes. Nooroo flinched, he preferred not to think about that. Neither did Master Fu, actually. The beating the Jade Turtle had handed out the thief/killer was… scary. Nooroo would never doubt him again.

“O-Okay, that was a bit of a mistake,” Nooroo said quietly, ever the master of the understatement. “But then again, the Guardians get it right more times than they get it wrong. Remember Houdini? Now _ he _was a cat!”

“Oh, that he was…” Pollen agreed. “Still, they always need Tikki to reign them in. I am, admittedly, worried we may have to bring in someone to hold Tikki. What with all the damage Paon is doing. Remember the last time we had an evil holder like Paon’s? Oh, what was it, oh 500 years ago?”

Nooroo shivered. “Yes, I remember. I was his… pawn. Never again. Never again. I shall be forever thankful to Mudekudeku and her cat. Lencho, the sole black cat who was an actual, uh, cat!”

He smiled in remembrance, the huntress and the black lion running through the wilds of Africa dispensing justice and bringing hope to those who needed it. Pollen, knowing where Nooroo’s thoughts were going hugged him and began humming out a calming tune. “Shh, shh… it’s okay, he’ll never hurt you now. Lencho saw to it, remember? I… I saw the body, we all did. It wasn’t pretty.”

“T-Thanks, I… I needed that,” Nooroo whispered. 

“Anytime,” Pollen smiled before it faded again. “But I am serious about us possibly bringing in Tikki. With all the damage a sentimonster can cause, I think we might be needing her sooner rather than later…”

“Yes, well, let’s hope at least for the time being, it never comes to that… I’d rather not think about her falling to the hands of evil. We still know very little about who we face,” Nooroo said. Both kwamis shuddered in unison. “So, for now, we watch and observe, guide our holders. We let them be the heroes Master Fu knew they’re meant to be.”

Meanwhile… “...all I'm saying is you two looked practically cozy,” Alix said as the group walked. Nooroo and Pollen had darted back inside their holders purses after their little talk. “That’s all. Why not act on it? You need to give yourself more credit Nath, you’re a good looking guy. You know, apart from having that horrible little issue being a ginger.” she joked ruffling his hair.

Nathaniel stifled a snort, fussing with his hair to get it back in order. “So are you.”

“I know right?” Alix said as Marinette and Aurore tried very hard -but failed- to hide their amusement. “Horrible tragedy, don’t know what I can do about it!”

“She’s right though, Nath,” Aurore said after she’d stopped laughing. “If you like Lila, ask her out, it’s as simple as that. Worst thing she can do, she can turn you down, really.”

“Also, you really should meet up with Mr. Markoff,” Alix put in. “He’ll happily accept you into art classes. He always says that anyone can be anything they want there, no judging allowed. Hell, it’s one of the only places I can do my street art without getting arrested for vandalism. He’s cool, for, y’know, a teach.” she said with a small shrug.

“I’ll… I’ll, yeah I’ll think about it,” Nathaniel said. 

“I’m sure he’d be over the moon to have _ the _Mightillustrator, defender of all great justice and Parisian Cathedrals in his class,” Alix went on. “That was seriously awesome what you did, by the way. Like it was! I’ll be honest with you guys right about now. Push comes to shove, I’m not sure I’d have the confidence to stand up and do what’s right if I was put on the spot like that…”

“Now who needs to give who credit?” Aurore said, glancing at the shorter girl. “Seriously, you’re so confident I can imagine you jumping at the chance to be one of Lady Papillion’s heroes. Like, I can totally see you rollerblading around the city and kicking Paon’s ass!”

“Oh please, saying and doing are two different things entirely,” Alix muttered. “No, I think I’ll leave this up to Honeybee and her partners. Like I said, if I was put on the spot like that I’m sure I’d flake. Like, I totally would! I’m no Majestia. Oh, by and by, my brother said he wants to see us all at the Louvre later today. Said he had something totally awesome to show us. Didn’t say what it was, but he said we just _ had _to see it.”

Marinette and her friends shared a look. “...well, I suppose it can’t hurt…”

  
  


\------------

  
  


“Huh, look at that Marinette,” Nooroo commented from inside his holder’s purse. “...well, I suppose it was only a matter of time.”

Marinette grimaced at what she saw on her phone’s screen. Adrien was talking to this guy, Theo she thought it was, who was commenting on how the Lady of Paris should totally start allowing people to make her likeness. Her and her champions. “I personally think you should jump on the deal,” Nooroo went on. “For your champions at least. It might do a long way to boistering Nathaniel’s self-image if he knew people liked him as a hero.”

“Yeah, I suppose…” Marinette whispered. Personally, while she didn’t actually like Adrien, she had subscribed to the BugOut blog as it was being called just for updates on her other self. Or news of any attacks. Being this informed, for a given value of informed anyways, allowed her to know just how close Adrien might be getting to the truth. 

“You’re not one to hold grudges are you Marinette?” Nooroo asked. “If you ask me, maybe Adrien was telling the truth. I don’t think he was trying to do anything wrong…”

Nooroo then darted inside her purse as Marinette heard a familiar shout. “Hey, Mari!” Alix said as she walked up. “Glad you could make it. Pull yourself out of your sketchbooks long enough to appreciate history a little.”

“Eh, well it’s not like I could turn Jalil down after what he did for me, it would be rude,” Marinette said and Alix winced. Quickly changing the subject so neither would be reminded of that terrible day, Marinette continued. “Besides, who knows, I might just get inspired! There’s plenty of paintings around here of people in period dress. Who knows, maybe the unconventional and old fashioned may be back in season for, er, fashion!” 

She giggled nervously at her own lame joke. Alix meanwhile, peered over to Marinette’s phone. “The BugOut? I thought you hated Adrien, after the, y’know, gum incident? Personally, I think you’re being silly Mari. Yeah, sure, Adrien’s Chloe’s friend. But she probably goaded him into it, and I was watching him. He didn’t seem to be all that comfortable with it. Or Chloe in general nowadays actually now that I think about it…”

“You sure about that?” Marinette asked skeptically. Yes, she liked to think the better of people but when it came to _ Chloe _ her judgment may have been a _ teensy-weensy _ bit skewed. Alix chuckled.

“Oh yeah, totally,” Alix went on as the two continued their walk, now in the medieval history section. “I’ve noticed he’s been keeping his distance from Chloe the past few days now. Not that I can blame him. I mean, you saw how she treated Max right? Totally not cool, and I’m willing to bet Chloe’s doing that with every one of our classmates. Screening them. Maybe she cares in her own little twisted way, but she’s being a bitch about it.”

“I find it hard to believe she cares about anyone after the way I’ve seen her treat Sabrina, and how she’s treated us for the past three and a half years,” Marinette drawled before she sighed. “...But yeah, maybe you’re right and maybe I was a bit too quick to judge Adrien. I should give him another chance.”

“See, yeah, that’s the Marinette Dupain-Cheng I know!” Alix said patting her on the shoulder. “You don’t hold grudges, at least not easily. Yeah, Adrien’s totally cool if you ask me. Plus, his daddy’s like one of your big idols right? World’s biggest fashion mogul?”

“Well, not world’s _ biggest _but…” Marinette continued.

“Still pretty big right?” Alix asked. “I mean, I don’t follow fashion, like not even for you but even I’ve heard of _ Gabriel. _ ‘Course, hard not to when his son is plastered on billboards all over the city. Not to mention the fangirls, ugh the fangirls. Marinette, please do me and everyone in the city and not become one of those loony fangirls. Like, just… don’t. For everyone’s sake!”

“I’d die of shame before I became one of those crazies,” Marinette laughed nervously. “Like, I’d probably stutter and stumble all over myself even if I did get some fangirl crush.”

“Yeah, I can see it now,” Alix laughed before proceeding to imitate such things. “I... uhhh... dahee... wha... ahh…” Yeah, that basically!” she said as Marinette’s face flushed a bright red.

“...Yeah, you’re right. That is a horrible thing,” Marinette mumbled. “Please don’t tease Aurore about it, I saw her looking longingly at one of those billboards a few days ago…” 

“Did she have that lovesick look in her eyes?” Alix asked. “You know the one right? I’ve seen it before when she had that crush on Fabio for a few weeks. Don’t know what she saw in him honestly, that hair is so obviously fake and by god the digital retouching on his face!”

“Yep, that’s the one…” Marinette mumbled knowing exactly the look her friend was talking about, doe eyes and all. Aurore had this problem, whenever she got a crush she went a _ little _boy-crazy. It wasn’t something Marinette liked to see, as she knew Aurore didn’t need some knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet. She was pretty enough to attract a boyfriend on her own, really. At least, that was what Marinette thought anyways. “I had to drag her -drag her!- away from a perfume ad. It was so embarrassing... So please don’t say a word about that to her, please Alix?”

“And risk getting whacked in the head by that parasol of hers?” Alix shuddered. “No thank you, I value my own life and limb! I’m not looking to go ahead and get a concussion thank you very much!”

“Oh, by the way, did you hear Aurore was trying out for that KIDZ+ Weather Girl thing?” Marinette asked. “She’s been going on about it for days, even asked me to create a dress for her. Which I still need to do by the way, ugh I’m such a complete flake!”

“Relax, and just chill for a while okay Mari?” Alix said. “You’re here to get inspired, and here to see something cool. See, look, there you go. You’re already sketching away!”

Marinette looked up from her notepad with a blush. “Well, the dresses _ are _nice but they’re so complicated. Imagine wearing those on the runway. I’m already seeing Aurore in one of those, and while she’s no clutz well…”

Alix made a face, grimacing at the image. “...Yeah, I see what you mean. Of course, you do you, Mari. I know you. Trust me, if you ever had the chance to design for Gabriel or whoever you’d make something _ astounding _. Like, you’ll go far and change the world.”

Alix then watched as a butterfly flew past and up into a vent, and blinked. “Is it just me, or are there a lot more butterflies in Paris? I mean, I’m not an entomologist -yes, I know that word, blame my older bro- but it’s getting odd really. Is it to do with Papillon? I know she uses butterflies with her powers and all…”

Marinette blinked, she hadn’t even considered that. Well, that certainly explained why her parents’ butterfly garden was doing so well. She’d really have to ask Nooroo about that. There were still a lot of things about her powers she still didn’t understand. Like their upper limits and such. Could she make more than one champion at once, or was that a bit out of her reach? Marinette also knew she’d have to find a better place to transform sooner or later than her balcony, given there was always that huge -and quite frankly frightening- possibility that her parents could walk in on her. _ That _ would be something she didn’t want to have to explain. Goodness knows they worried about her too much already. She loved them, she really did, but she wasn’t completely helpless. She was figuring things out, little by little. And she had her friends.

Marinette keenly noted that Jalil had asked for her specifically, just her and Alix. She did have to wonder if this was some way of Jalil making up for what happened that day. Yeah, sure he couldn’t have seen what was coming but Marinette deeply suspected he blamed himself anyways. Like, if he’d been a little bit faster in calling the hospital or seeing that car Marinette might be able to walk. She hated being pandered to, like she was so different from any other person. That pitying look she got in the streets for her condition, she hated it. Quite honestly, she envied Aurore -because who else could it be?- leaping across rooftops as Honeybee. But there was nothing she could do about it. _ “And besides, I’ve got my friends and my sketches. That’s all I need really.” _

“Oh, Marinette, you made it!” Jalil said, half-babbling really as Aurore, Nathaniel and Lila followed close behind. “Oh goodness me, this stuff just came in, and I know half of it already is going to be a hit. Especially if some of the transcriptions are even remotely right!” 

His eyes drifted to a massive slab of sandy-colored stone, hieroglyphics covering it. Nathaniel was sketching it already, absentmindedly doodling the images depicted. Alix wandered over to the ancient pictographs and her eyes widened. “Hey bro, did you notice this?”

Here she animatedly gestured to a particularly engrossing image on the stonework, and Jalil walked over, several papers in hand falling to the floor in his stride. “Oh my…” Jalil said peering through his spectacles. “This is… this is tremendous, oh this is so going on the BugOut blog!”

Marinette blinked, was EVERYONE in this city a follower of that blog? Then again, she supposed given _ who _was running it. “Marinette, you gotta come and see this!” Alix said gesturing for her to come over. “Like, this is seriously awesome.”

Marinette’s eyes widened, because what was on the stonework was unmistakable as a pharaoh holding not just a crook and flail, but a cane as well. A very, very _ familiar _ sort of cane. Like, she knew there had been other bearers all throughout history -Naoko Takeuchi anyone?- but all the way back in _ ancient fucking Egypt? _Like this was… she couldn’t even… Good grief! From inside her bag, she heard Nooroo mention the names Akhenaten and Bast. “Huh, so even Egypt had them eh?” Alix mumbled. “Wow, way to make a girl feel inadequate. It always seems to the talented and famous sorts who get to be heroes. Who do I have to be, Bruce Wayne?”

Jalil hadn’t noticed his younger sibling’s mumblings and was already snapping pictures of the ancient Butterfly hero. Alix chuckled, of course, Jalil was far too engrossed in his studies to give a proper lecture. Right, did she need cue cards or a script to do this? She groaned. If she knew she had to give a speech about Egypt today she sooooo would have paid more attention to Ms. Bustier’s last history lesson. “Um, right, so…” Alix stuttered before several sharp feathers flew overhead, and Jalil might have been decapitated had he not been crouching on the floor for better photos. A few moments before, this had occurred.

_ Lila had ducked out of the room seeing what was on the stonework, seething. Even the long dead had heroes that were more well known than she was! “Duusu,” the Italian asked, her voice dripping with shock. She felt… well, she felt absolutely tiny in comparison to that holder in the inscriptions. “Is it true that there have been that many heroes throughout history? Even way back in the Egyptian times?” _

_ “Oh yes, yes,” Duusu said excitedly, unable to control herself. She was practically babbling, no gushing really. “You, my Mistress, are just the latest in a long line of holders, though I stress that you’re a very thin definition of holder.” _

_ “Shut up,” Lila hissed to her bag, and she got a few odd looks from the people around her. Quickly thinking up an excuse, she said: “New talking back, all the rage over in Japan. I just got it imported! You know how Japan is, they’re always very good with technology!” _

_ Quickly, Lila darted behind a series of armors. It was a better spot to talk, and then maybe change so she could get a chance to swipe the stone. Looking left, and then to her right to make sure nobody was watching, she then spoke. “Alright featherhead, spill. Just how many heroes have there been throughout history?” _

_ Forced by the magic to answer, although not able to say which Miraculous they used, Duusu listed off a few. “Hmm, let’s see aside from Akhenaten and Bast, there was Houdini. Lovely man, from all accounts. Had a sense of spectacle. Hua Mulan, and I believe Sun Wukong as well. You starting to get the picture Lila?” Duusu remarked with a sneer. Her emotions were starting to get the better of her, and in hindsight what she said next probably wasn’t the best of choices. “You’re just a drop in the bucket, and to be honest not a very good drop. Why, when all is said and done, chances are you’ll be… perfectly forgettable.” _

_ “Why you little…” Lila hissed reaching out to strangle her Kwami. Duusu whimpered in fear, tears starting to form. Lila was furious, that little thing thought it could dictate her spot in history? Well then, that was just going to have to change. Time to show who was the Master of this relationship! “Perfectly forgettable eh? I’ll show them perfectly forgettable.” _

_ “You know, Lila, as much as I doubt this’ll reach you,” Duusu mumbled. Gods above, Nooroo or Tikki were usually better at this. Why her? “You don’t have to be a supervillain to carve out your own fate. It’s not the only path open to you, you do know that right?” _

_ “It feels like it at times,” Lila murmured and for a brief moment, Duusu felt a pang of sympathy go out to her Mistress. For only a brief moment. “My mother is an ambassador, and as it turns out, practically every famous historical figure is a hero of some sort. So what am I supposed to do?” _

_ Again, for the briefest of moments, Duusu felt a pang of sympathy. Maybe this was her fault, making Lila feel so inadequate. It probably was, she knew it thanks to her brief moment of spite. But Duusu’s sympathy soon evaporated as soon as it came. No, her Mistress deserved whatever was coming. She sensed them, both Nooroo and Pollen. Maybe they didn’t sense her, but she sensed them. She didn’t get much of a chance to think on this before: “Duusu, Spread My Feathers!” _

Marinette swore under her breath even as Paon sliced through the security bars, and Jalil ushered for the kids to run for it. Alix grabbed Marinette, and quickly wheeled her out of there as fast as she could. “Come on Lady…” Alix muttered to herself searching the ceiling above her for a butterfly. “...could really use your help right about now…”

_ “If you only knew she was right beside you Alix…” _Marinette said. Aurore had ‘conveniently’ vanished, hopefully to transform. Lila was gone too, now that she thought about it. Marinette had seen her duck out a few minutes before Paon showed, maybe she went off to look at something else -Marinette knew some Italian Renaissance art was in the next room over- or needed a bathroom break. All Marinette hoped was that she was safe. 

“Where’s Lila?” Alix whispered. “...please tell me we didn’t leave her behind! Oh gods, we did didn’t we!”

“I’ll go get her,” Jalil offered as security ran past in hopes of containing Paon. “I’ll be back in a-”

“No Jalil, not while Paon’s running about, yeah she seems pretty focused on that slab, but who knows, maybe she won’t want to leave witnesses,” Alix said. “We need to get out of here, and call the cops! We can’t just wait around for Honeybee or Lady Papillion to show!”

Alix was conflicted, so conflicted she never noticed Marinette had ducked out as well. Goddamn it, she was a coward. Maybe fleeing was the best option here over fighting that nut but someone had to do something! Like, someone! If she wasn’t such a coward, she knew Lady Papillon probably would have chosen her! _ “It’s like Marinette all over again, if I was faster or more… or more observant or something I might have been able to save her back then. But I can’t save anyone, not Marinette, and not Aurore nor Lila!” _

Suddenly, she felt a warmth encompass her body and her whole world went white. Gasps echoed. Meanwhile, Honeybee was fighting Paon fist to fist, blocking blows or dodging them. Launching her top, she watched as it wrapped itself around Paon’s legs. Giving it a tug, she pulled the Peacock Villain towards her, and drew back her fist. WHAM! Paon staggered backward, only for Honeybee to have to zip into the next room to avoid feathers thrown her way. An explosion, and Honeybee rolled along the ground in a daze, her suit slightly singed. Her hair sparked with embers. _ “Oh, she so didn’t just do that! She did not just touch the hair!” _

Honeybee almost called for her power, but at the last moment decided not to. No, last time and the time before that she tried Paon had predicted her movements. She needed a plan here, and she needed more room to fight this villain. These hallways were way too restrictive. It wasn’t like fighting in the streets, or above them. This was something different. _ “Got to lure her away from here. Okay Aurore, think up a plan. Paon’s vain right? She likes all the attention to be on her, well I’ll assume it’s a her anyways. Okay then, Beauréal, think fast!” _

“Hey Paon, or Pawn or whatever you call yourself,” Honeybee mocked. “You really think you can stop me? You’re delusional!”

“I dunno…” Paon growled, her fan at the ready. “Without a champion to back you up, or hell even with one you’ve never managed to stop me before. No Venom yet? Oh, maybe you’re learning.”

“True, I’ve never managed to stop you,” Honeybee agreed, darting to the left to dodge a punch. She rebounded off the wall and grabbed Paon by the shoulder wrenching her to the floor. Paon let out a yell of pain. “But it doesn’t mean I’ll give it my best shot!”

Honeybee was thrown backward as Paon kicked her in the face, and knocked her through a wall. Dust filled the air, and it was all Honeybee could do to dodge fan strikes. Drawing back her fist, she lunged. Paon blocked the punch, but was kneed in the gut. She swore, only for Honeybee to stick out her tongue and zip away. And once again the chase was on! Meanwhile, back with Alix, her eyes widened in shock as she got a vague impression of a woman atop a… well, she wasn’t sure. That might have been a throne. _ “Alix Kubdel, you want to protect your friends right?” _ Lady Papillion asked. _ “Now here is your chance, Tagger. Go on, take my power and use it well. Return Paon’s Miraculous to me so it can be kept safe.” _

Truth be told Marinette wasn’t _ exactly _ sure what she’d do with Paon’s Miraculous once she got it. That was yet another in a long list of things she’d have to figure out really. No matter, she had to think of the present for the moment. Stop Paon now, and worry about what to do with Duusu and how to keep her safe later. _ “A-Are you sure?” _ Alix asked and Marinette’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected this. _ “I… I mean, are you really sure I’m the one you want? I can barely keep an eye on my friends, and I got Marinette wheelchair-bound! So… so asking me to be a superhero is like… well, yeah… I’m not saying I doubt you Lady Papillion, but I think you’re making a mistake here.” _

At any other time, Marinette would have chuckled at Alix finally learning some respect. But now was not the time for laughter. _ “Alix, you’re a good friend and an even better person. I’ve never made mistakes before, and I don’t think I’m making one now. You are the only one who can stop Paon, and bring Duusu back to me, you understand? T-This friend of yours, M-Marinette? She’d want you to do this, right? Take a stand, and all that? And your brother, he’d be so proud of you!” _

_ “Y-Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry I doubted you… No, I’m sorry I doubted myself. Alright my Lady… Transformez-moi!” _

\------------

The cocoon shattered, and Alix stood in a sleek bodysuit, covered in shining purple light. It was sorta like those lines from that one movie, Tron or something. Spraycans covered her belt, and a sharp-edged helmet complete with headphones and breathing mask completed the look. “Hey, Tagger’s ready to rock,” Alix said pushing a fist into an open palm and then pumping the air. Grabbing a spraycan off her belt and spinning it she declared: “Paon, well that little blue bird’s never gonna know what hit her!”

Almost as if by instinct, Tagger tossed a slab of paper on the wall in front of her and sprayed a bumblebee. With a flash of light she was then next to Honeybee, and delivering a powerful punch to Paon’s face. “Sweet, graffiti teleportation. I can get used to this! Banksy’s got nothing on me!” Alix said. 

_ “Keep your focus Tagger, don’t let Paon get the better of you. Back her into a corner, and let Honeybee use her Venom!” _Papillion directed even as Paon wiped the blood from her mouth, calling her a series of curse words that stained the air blue. 

“Yeah yeah, I know,” Tagger said as a purple mask appeared over her face for a moment. “Still, gotta let me show off these sweet kicks you gave me. Hey L'oiseau bleu! You want to meet Papillion right? Well, if you can beat me in a race, I’ll give you a face to face!”

Paon let out a shriek as Alix raced off, using a handrail as a grind with sparks flying before leaping off of it and onto the wall. “Three laps, all around this plaza. Sound cool?” Alix asked. “Seems like a fair bargain to me, really.”

Building up speed, Alix raced around the plaza as Paon leaped from wall to wall and next thing Alix knew she was in front of her. Paon whirled around in midair and tossed exploding feathers at her opposition. Alix ducked, before using the strength in her legs to practically spring over Papillion. Flipping in midair, she flashed twin peace signs before landing on the ground once more. “Way too slow, blue bird,” Alix mocked. “You gotta step up your game! Say, what do you plan on doing with that slab anyways? Hell, how do you plan to carry it? Peacocks can’t fly, last I checked!”

Paon blinked under her hood, and Alix smirked as she sprayed a nearby wall. She was getting to her. Good. Kim always said she was annoying, nice to know she could put it to some use. “Oh, didn’t quite think this one through did you? Do you even know how to read hieroglyphs? For all you know they could be a baking recipe or worse, some ancient curse! The Egyptians, I hear, did tend to do that for their tombs. Boil your blood, attack you with swarms of locusts and bats, turn you into donkeys…” Alix continued to mock, listing these off on her fingers. Paon threw more feathers at her, only for Alix to leap up and do a leg split as the feathers passed harmlessly beneath her. A painting behind her now sported two new eyes. 

“Oooooh, vandalism!” Alix continued getting Paon angrier and angrier with each passing moment. The sounds of police sirens were heard somewhere above them, okay that was good. Just needed to buy a little more time. “That’s going on your record, I think. I think you’ll be banned from the Louvre for life by this point!” 

“You’re no better, with your tagging,” Paon pointed out wagging her finger. “Pot, meet kettle!”

“Hey, only reason I’m tagging is to stop you,” Alix mocked doing another art piece. She vanished into it, leaving Paon’s eyes darting right and left to see where she would strike next. It wasn’t long before Alix reappeared and with a flying kick knocked Paon into a stone wall cracking it. “See? I think one bad deed for the greater good undoes another. It all evens out, I think!”

“Who you trying to tell that to?” Paon asked slicing at Alix’s costume drawing blood. “Me, or Père Noël?”

“You love to talk, don’t you? Like, you really do. Ugh, chit-chat! Chitty chitty chat chat. Chat chat chat. Chit-chat!” Alix said and grabbed Paon by the arm. She then flipped Paon head over heel. With an audible thud, Paon landed behind her. Alix winced. “....Oooh, that’s gotta hurt. C’est la vie, I suppose…”

The chase continued, Alix performing wallgrinds throughout the corridors while Paon leaped after her. At one point, Alix rebounded off a wall, sprayed it, and sent a pack of blue pigeons -a double mockery!- at Paon to peck away at her. Alix ground a bench, and leapt to another one and ground that, and then wallrode another corridor continuing to build up speed. Her flow was completely unbroken, and then she leaped off another bench. Flying over the plaza, she tagged a light sending another series of blue birds at Paon. Distracted as she was defending off these airborne menaces, Paon never saw the punch from Honeybee coming. 

“Bien joué, girl!” Honeybee complimented as she fist-bumped Alix who returned it. Both shared a look, yeah they knew who each other was. They wouldn’t say it, but they just knew. Honeybee spared a glance to Paon, who was furious beyond words as she picked herself up off the ground. “So, ready to give up yet?” 

Paon spared a glance to a nearby section of the plaza, which had a mother and her baby hiding away in fear. Honeybee noticed this, and so did Alix. Both had the exact same thought. _ “No, surely she wouldn’t…” _

Well, they were sorta right. It wasn’t the baby who got targeted. With a whisper of “Fly away my little amok…” from Paon both Honeybee and Alix were sent flying.

A loud roar and a bear had smashed through part of the Louvre's glass pyramid. They rolled along the cobblestone, and Honeybee smashed into the side of a police car. The bear reared up on her -well, it had to be a her with the bonnet she wore- hind legs and roared again. “Well, this went sour didn’t it? Like, really fast!” Alix said as she struggled to stand.

“Maybe you egged her on too much, just sayin’,” Honeybee commented. “Oh well, I was starting to get bored. You were hogging all the action girl, all the cool stuff!”

“And _ this _is your idea of the cool stuff?” Alix yelped as the massive bear ran towards them. Guns went off, the police opening fire. The bear was still charging towards them. Alix swallowed. 

“...well, with the benefit of hindsight…” Honeybee admitted before Alix grabbed her by the arm. A plan was beginning to form in her mind. 

“How powerful are your kicks? Like, how powerful?” Alix asked rapidly. 

“Don’t know, never really had time to figure it out,” Honeybee said wondering if now was the time to use Venom. Trouble was, she’d have to get in _ real _close. Like, uncomfortably close and she really didn’t fancy having to tangle with those claws right about now. She noticed Alix glancing at a wall, and then a light post. “...Oh, tell me you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking. That’s crazy!”

“Hey, if I wasn’t crazy this might never work,” Alix said zipping around to tag a wall and then the light post. A light post which just so directly happened to be in front of the line of police cars. “Now kick!” 

With a powerful kick, the cars were in another location, while Honeybee threw her top and zipped above the sentimonster bear. Alix rocketed by the creature, sprayed it in the eyes causing it to slash wildly. It never knew what hit it. With a cry of “VENOM!” it was down. 

“Well, that was overly complicated, not to mention life-threatening,” Honeybee said. Cameras flashed and cheers erupted for the heroes and their quick thinking.. “But wow, what a rush. Whew, think that’s my adrenaline junkie fix for the week! Yeah, I know, we’re awesome. Aren’t we awesome?”

She struck a pose. Adrien was in the crowd, he’d first arrived a few minutes before and had gotten some video of the new Champion and then what followed. His heart had never been beating so fast in his life. Sure, there was the life-threatening danger, but damn what a rush. No amount of modeling ever gave him such a thrill. It was like Pigeonzilla all over again! Yeah, yeah he was definitely defining today as a ‘win’ in his book. Yeah, sure there had to be healthier ways to get an adrenaline fix and really live, like a day at Aventure Fantastique but Aventure Fantastique didn’t have superheroes now did it? So, okay, yeah, this was a thing. A thing that would probably give his father a heart attack now that he thought about it, but a thing. God, he hated being cooped up in his house, and while he sorta understood where his father was coming from he was… a little bit too overprotective. Adrien had always felt like he was just some doll for his father to take care of and dress up. This was his own personal form of rebellion. 

Lila was a mix of emotions. Yeah, she had gotten close to a superhero or two -even if she was now covered in little birdy love-bites but she also put a kid in danger. Yeah, Lila may have been… Okay, she was insane but she had limits. No kids. She couldn’t even amokatize one without feeling all dirty. Sighing, she walked over to the mother, who was frozen in fear and grabbed the raddle in her hands. Snapping it in half, she let the amok feather drift out. “Apologies Madame,” Lila said, even if she didn’t exactly know why. She was careful not to show her face, allowing the magic of the Miraculous to blur it somewhat. “There’s a bathroom to your left, go hide in there.”

As the mother ran for it, Lila leaped up and out into the courtyard. Drawing her fan, she looked at both Honeybee and Tagger. “So, a good day so far for all of us, right? Look, if it helps you any, didn’t want to get innocents involved.”

Honeybee scowled at her. “Yeah, and yet you used one of those amoks on someone anyways!”

“Oh well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I wasn’t aiming for the baby, for the record,” Lila said going back into Paon Mode as she called it as she blocked and dodged punches from the two heroes. “Also, I love the name, by the way. L'oiseau bleu, really rolls off the tongue. Might be thinking of a name change sooner or later really!”

Beep, beep went her comb.

“Oh, by the way, Bee,” Lila went on. “You’re almost out of time. And as much as I’d love to meet you in real life, I don’t really want to watch you turn back into a pumpkin. I’d honestly prefer to chat hero to villain, y’know? So, uh… Toodles!”

With that, she leaped off to parts unknown as Marinette released Alix from her transformation. “That was… strange.”

“To say the least,” Honeybee agreed. Beep beep, her comb went again.

“Oh, you’re uh…” Alix said hesitantly before they shared a little nod and a fistbump.

“Right. Bien joué?” Honeybee asked awkwardly.

“Bien joué,” Alix said with a smile before Honeybee zipped off. Alix would later return inside only to be greeted with cheers -and more than a few hugs, not that she minded, even if she’d never admit it- from her friends and older brother. She smiled in relief when she saw them. Everything was normal, everything was safe. Bien joué indeed. Yeah, you know what, she could totally do this hero thing if she wanted. Bring it on Paon, bring it on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, really not sure how I keep making these beasts of chapters. Maybe I should tone it down just a bit? Okay, yeah, hated writing the ending fight. Even with Alix's teleport power, it was not a fun one. I mean, really there's only so much you can do with a rollerblader. And even then, it felt like Alix's graffiti power was just copying off of Nath's own. So yeah, I loved and hated this chapter in equal measure. Also yeah, BugOut. Not the best name I suppose, but I was running short. There's only so many names for a butterfly themed blog out there.


	8. 8: Kwami Blues

“So, what’s up Bugheads?” Adrien said into his phone, as the sound of a zip and a buzz came from overhead, a familiar yellow and black form darting over the stormy skies. Thunder rumbled as the rain trickled down onto the Parisian streets and onto the rooftops, puddles rapidly forming in the roads. Adrien let out a none too manly yelp as he dodged out of the way of a splash of water thrown his way via car. “Now, apologies for you if you’re out in this weather, ugly isn’t it? Thankfully, there is some good news for you. I’m coming to you live with the latest update. That was Honeybee folks, on her daily patrol. Feel sorry for her, water can’t be good for the wings. I envy her partner, she’s probably nice, home and more importantly, dry.”

To be perfectly honest, it wasn’t like Adrien was actually _ trying _to be near Paon Blue and her/his/its battles with the heroes and give his father a heart attack. It just had a tendency to sorta… happen. Like seriously, Adrien wouldn’t have wanted to end up near a massive bonnet wearing bear on any normal day. Sure, it gave him a rush but really! He wasn’t deliberately trying to be some adrenaline junkie daredevil. Really! Don’t give me that look! It just sorta… happened. He just always ended up near Sentimonster battles… with, Adrien would admit, very little effort to stop ending up near them.

“Dude, you’re so out of your mind it’s not even funny anymore,” Nino had finally said. At some point he’d given up trying to tie his best friend on a leash. He knew Adrien would wind up in the middle of things anyways. “I mean, it’s cool and all you’re trying to give us the details on Paris’ heroes and all that but really! One of these days you’re going to wind up in Hôpital Saint Joseph.”

Somehow Nino always suspected that if Gabriel pulled his son out of school, well he’d still find a way to get the scoop. Sneak out of the house all ninja-like and such. Nino knew Adrien would. And Nino was also pretty sure Gabriel knew this as well, given the twitchy eye he’d developed when the word ‘amok’ was even mentioned or hell, even thought of. And then there was Natalie who both Nino and Adrien suspected was getting paid extra now. That fine wine didn’t pay for itself after all. Nino often wondered when it’d be upgraded to something stronger. Now that Adrien had his… drug for lack of a better word he wanted to keep getting his next fix.

“Now we all saw it, right?” Adrien continued. “Papillon and Mightillustrator teaming up with Honeybee again, just to save that plane right? Landed it in the middle of Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Awesome right? Standard superhero fair right? Well, I decided to follow Honeybee, just to see if I could catch an interview without giving my father a heart attack or getting… you know, caught up between Paon and the Bug Twosome. Okay, I need better names for sure. If you’re watching papa, I’m sorry. Like, I really am. Not trying to be a daredevil. Just bad luck, I guess.” 

However, despite all this there was one rule Adrien had decided to obey first and foremost. Never touch the secret identity. Like, don’t even think about it! Everyone knew how important a secret identity was to a superhero. Batman was paranoid for a reason after all. Literally everyone knew how important secret identities were to heroes, and Adrien had often times had to… persuade people not to pursue the matter any further when it came to Paris’ guardian angels. Oh sure, he’d love to find out who was behind the masks, just like anyone else, but he respected the identities. It was a scary thought really, Paon being a browser of the blog. Adrien would have been foolish to think otherwise, even if it gave him shudders thinking of a creeper like Paon trolling his blog for info. 

So, with that in mind Adrien flinched a little when he saw a book land in front of him. Presumably, Honeybee hadn’t quite noticed it falling out of her grip when she was just zipping around the city, from rooftop to rooftop. He approached it gingerly. After recovering his wits, Adrien swears and quickly shuts off the camera, hoping nobody had noticed. It was a history textbook. The very same sort of history textbook Adrien had been handling in class just a few days prior. The very same sort of history textbook his class used. Like, the _ exact _ same. It wasn't long before the implications hit him like a freight train. Yep, no doubt about it. This was the same history textbook his class used. Lovely. Could it be that...? Nope, nope, abort! He _ had _to get this back to its rightful owner. 

Finding Honeybee was a bit harder than Adrien expected, even after hailing a cab and ordering the driver to ‘follow that girl’. He did not appreciate the mutter of ‘young love…’ at all. Like, at all. He totally didn’t have a crush on Honeybee, not one bit! And yes, he knew that sounded like denial talking. So what? Shut up. Like, shut up. 

“Honeybee!” he calls out into the rain several times, rushing against the wind. The pain pattered on his face, cold and biting and he knew he'd probably wake up with a cold in a few days. It took a bit but eventually he succeed in finding her, and Honeybee actually flashed twin peace signs at Adrien. Now he’s totally not trying to go into complete fanboy mode, he had important work to do. 

“You… you want to show me a history textbook?” Honeybee asked in confusion shivering in the rain. For a moment Adrien wondered if she actually was a bug, then again he was shivering as well. Oh, there had to be better days to get facetime with his heroes, Adrien reasoned. Maybe Nino was right. Maybe he was crazy. “Listen BugOut, if you’re really that desperate for an interview maybe we can set something up. But not now okay? It's cold and it's wet and oh god, I would kill for a cup of hot cocoa and a chance to snuggle up under the blankets for the rest of the day…” she grumbles.

Adrien, by this point is trying so hard not to fall backwards into a coma from sheer fanboygasm. One of his heroes actually knew and acknowledged who he was! “What, no! Non, non! Look, this fell out and I wanted to give it back, that’s all!”

“Oh my god…” Honeybee muttered to herself and an ugly curse stains the air. “Please tell me that phone isn’t still on, because if it is I swear I will sting you Prince of Paris or not! You of all people should know how important a-”

“Yes, I do know,” Adrien quickly corrects himself. “I swear, I shut it off soon as I realized what I’d found. First rule of superheroing, the secret identities stay… well, secret. Journalistic ethics, right? I’d like to give it back, actually but here's the thing. Like the thing is, I don’t know who it belongs to and I’d really rather not get too close to your identities. I’m already treading thin water as it is!”

“Thank you for handing this back to me, Adrien, and I appreciate the honesty,” Honeybee replied warmly as her eyes softened before they became as hard as steel and her voice grew colder. “But listen, I keep the harmony in my Hive. _ My _Hive. Because make no mistake, that's what it is. I'm obligated to tell you that if I hear you going on some sort of identity hunt and causing us trouble, I will come back to that big fancy mansion of yours and send a Venom up your ass.”

Adrien swallowed nervously, and held up his hands in a surrendering motion. “Yeah… Yeah, I sorta get the picture. Thank you. Trust me, you don’t have to worry about a thing from me!”

He tossed her a salute. Here Honeybee gave him a soft smile and then tossed her tool to the winds, zipping off into the pouring rain.

The Gorilla pulled up, giving him a disapproving look before sighing to himself. He simply pressed a button inside the car, and opened the passenger side door. Adrien numbly climbs inside, his mind awhirl with the implications of what he’d just seen. Hopefully, his brain would let this go in a few days. Hopefully, or better yet a few hours. Not likely, but a guy could hope right? Okay, yeah that definitely sounded like he had a crush on Honeybee. God, he really hated his brain at times. He knew someone up above just had to be laughing at him, Adrien thought to himself his cheeks flushed a bright red. Like, he just _ knew. _

\------------

Class that next morning came with a surprise. Marinette wheeled herself up to his seat, and didn’t seem all that bothered by his presence. In the back of the room, Adrien noticed Lila quirking an eyebrow. “I thought you hated me, you know, for the um… Gum, incident?”

“Yes, well, decided I’d give you a second chance that’s all. Besides, to be honest from the looks of it I’ll be stuck with you for a while so might as well try and clear the air,” Marinette said, “Look, can we start over? Marinette.”

“Adrien,” Adrien says sticking out his hand “You sure it’s… uh, alright with your friend there? She seems to be giving me the stink eye.”

_ “Lila!” _Marinette hissed out and the Italian sighed as she walked over to the desk.

“Okay, so I’ve been proven wrong,” Lila mused to herself and Adrien for a moment is sorely reminded of his relationship with Chloe. Just for a moment, that’s all. “It happens, but I was just looking out for my best friend. You know how it is right?” she asked sweetly.

“Look, I apologize for Chloe, and what she made me do and not speaking up earlier,” Adrien sighed to himself. “But she… well, she _ used _to be my only friend. I can’t just throw her under the bus!”

“You need better taste in friends, just sayin’...” Lila muttered to herself. Adrien snorted.

“Trust me, I’m beginning to figure that out…” Adrien muttered bitterly to himself. Marinette gave him a sympathetic look, and then glanced inside her bag. Hopefully nobody noticed. Inside was Nooroo, shivering and sneezing. Her mind flashed back…

_ “Thank you my Champion,” Marinette said as she recalled her Tenshi to her, the police already taking over the situation. “You’ve done Paris a great service.” _

_ She had managed to duck into an alleyway, and transform without anyone seeing her. This was getting ridiculous, utterly ridiculous at the risk of sounding like Chloe. Okay, yeah sure it wasn’t Paon this time, but what about the next time, and the next? She needed a place to transform, and not just duck and cover and hope for the best. Yeah, admittedly a lot of Paris alleyways looked a lot alike but what if someone stumbled upon her or one of her champions saw a street sign or something? Her life at that very moment would be over and Paris would never be able to take her seriously again knowing she was a teenage girl in a wheelchair! It would be the end of the world and everyone would be all doomed, doomed, dooooooooommmmmmmedddddd! _

_ Okay maybe she was overreacting, just maybe a little. But this was getting out of hand really. This was the third time this week alone she’d been forced to have to improvise, and she really didn’t have that many excuses for her friends left by this point. Oh sorry I can’t see the movie with you, need to go and iron my dog! Marinette was simply amazed that anyone had believed that one. She didn’t even OWN a dog! _

_ “Nooroo, Dark Wings Fall,” Marinette said not even paying the transformation and detransformation phrases any mind by this point. Sure, it sounded villainous at first but now it felt… right. Like Nooroo was protecting her from harm, and she in turn was protecting her city. Bit poetic, bit fanciful maybe yeah, but it worked. “You know, I’d say we’re getting pretty good at this. I feel… confident. Like, more confident than I ever have in a while!” _

_ “That’s the spirit Marinette,” Nooroo agreed with a small nod, fluttering weakly. Marinette didn’t seem to take notice, still on her high of saving Paris from yet another threat. “See, I knew you could do it. Didn’t I say I had faith in you?” _

_ “And it wasn’t misplaced,” Marinette said kissing Nooroo atop his head. She punched the air. “Saving Paris one moment, designing fashion the next and still attending school!” _

_ “See, that’s what I like to see!” Nooroo laughed weakly. “By this rate, we’ll defeat and unmask Paon and then have Duusu back within the-achoo!” _

_ “Oh no,” Marinette whispered as Nooroo fell from the air, and she just barely managed to scoop the little god into her hands. “Nooroo, are you alright. Tell me you’re alright! Please tell me you’re alright!” _

_ Marinette hadn’t known the little god for long but he’d already lit up the household with his presence. Even if it was obvious he was hurting for the loss of his counterpart, he was cheery and supportive. He knew one day he and Duusu would be reunited, and went out of his way to help Marinette in her daily life. He handed her apples and the like whenever she was so consumed by her work -as she often was- to bother to grab something to eat. He was patient with her, and understanding. _

_ One of her favorite memories actually, was not long after they’d met. Marinette had been working through the night, and didn’t actually remember when she’d fallen asleep. But the next thing she knew, when she awoke she had breakfast prepared and everything and she was in her bed. Now, her first thought was her mom but Nooroo’s soft little smile said everything. Somehow, he’d managed to do all of this and Marinette didn’t even ask him to. That cemented her love of the little Kwami, he was a little light in her frankly stressful life. An anchor, if you will. She deserved better, and now he was sick, possibly even dying! _

_ “R-Relax Marinette, I’ll be fine,” Nooroo coughed. “It’s just a little cold, even Kwamis get them. I don’t need you to take me to a doctor or anything. It’ll pass. I just need some sugar and I’ll be fine, you’ll see.” _

_ But by the next morning, he was still sneezing. Okay, yeah to be fair maybe colds didn’t pass in a night but Marinette was still concerned. But yet Nooroo still waved her off. “You don’t need to worry about a thing Marinette,” Nooroo said. “At least, not about me. You worry about your classwork okay? This will pass. This will pass. It’s just a little -achoo!- cold!” _

_ “But what if it affects my transformation, my powers? No, that sounds selfish! What if it affects your powers?” Marinette asked as she changed out of her pajamas into her everyday wear. Pink pants, white tank top and black jacket. Same as always. “Oh dear god, I sound so selfish, I must be the worst Butterfly you’ve ever had.” _

_ “No, you’re fine,” Nooroo reassured. “Every one of my Butterflies is different.” _

_ “That’s what I thought…” Marinette mumbled dejectedly. Nooroo gave her a soft little look. Somehow, even in spite of his sickness he found time to be so achingly kind. _

_ “Marinette, you are different. But different as in surprising, unpredictable and endearing. And very talented. You learn fast,” Nooroo said to her. “You picked up my powers, and yes you had a few false starts but you jumped at the chance to save Paris. You love your city, and that’s all I can ask for.” _

_ “But I also love you,” Marinette said holding Nooroo close. “You need to go to a healer, or a doctor or something! But what will I tell him, or her? You're a secret, he'll get all suspicious and ask me questions! Like.. Like so many questions. I mean, what do I tell them? You’re not a cat, or a dog or a mouse… I can’t even pass you off as a butterfly! Okay, well maybe I can because that’s what you are but…” _

_ Nooroo was beginning to see the signs of a full-scale Marinette style freakout in progress. And as ever, the supportive kwami knew EXACTLY what to do the moment it started. Dashing to the dresser, he opened it. Quickly, he grabbed a brown paper bag and held it up to his holder. She blew a few deep breaths into it and then babbled some more. Nooroo sighed, he loved her he really did but his holder had serious anxiety issues and needed an alarm clock for certain things. Oh well, it was something else he’d have to work on with her. _

_ “And I know someone else who is gonna ask an awful lot of questions: my teacher! About why I'm late again! Nooroo, can I take you to the healer right after school? Like, right after you are going to that healer, understand?” Marinette asked pointedly and Nooroo let out a sneeze before nodding. “Thank you. I may have to risk taking you to school though, I’m already running late as it is and…” _

_ “I understand,” Nooroo said before dashing downstairs and then returning with toast, shoving it in her mouth. “Here, eat. A well-fed stomach leads to a well-fed brain, I always say!” _

_ “Oh Nooroo,” Marinette said quickly stuffing some sugar cubes into her purse. “What would I ever do without you?” _

“What indeed…?” Marinette mumbled to herself as she waited for class to start. She turned back to Adrien. “So, how goes the blog? Got any good stuff? Any interviews?”

Adrien let out a moan and slammed his head on the desk. Apparently that had been the wrong thing to say.

“...I’m going to take that as a no then, right?” Marinette asked and Nino patted his friend’s shoulder sympathetically. 

“Dude’s been grumbling about this all week, like every time he tries to get close to either Honeybee or one of Lady Papillion’s Champions well… Something happens. Either his chauffeur -we call him Le Gorille- shows up to take him home, Honeybee’s transformation starts to time out or the Lady releases her tengus or whatever they’re called,” Nino explained. “So yeah, being my poor dude here is suffering.”

Marinette winced. She had known Adrien had been trying to score an interview for the BugOut Blog for ages, and yet she kept ducking out of it. Releasing that transformation from any of her champions before they could accidentally release any information as to what she looked like. Hmm, maybe she was a little too paranoid about this whole secret identity thing. Maybe she should ask Nathaniel, like on the downlow, what he remembered about Lady Papillion. It really couldn’t hurt she supposed. 

“Personally though, just between you and me Mari I am sorta regretting asking to be the editor of his videos,” Nino whispered to him. “The dude keeps throwing himself into danger. Maybe it’s to irritate his father, who I will agree is way too overprotective and controlling but… There have to be better ways to do that, you know what I mean?”

Ooooof, yeah that was another thing she’d been meaning to have a word with Adrien about as Lady Papillion. She’d seen him getting a little too close to the action more times than she’d have liked to admit. If Marinette didn’t know better, she’d have sworn he had some sort of death wish or something. She knew she wasn’t alone. When Aurore thought nobody was listening, she’d heard her ranting about this blond who came close to getting himself killed one too many times for her liking. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who she meant. Of course, while Marinette had yet to spill the fact that she knew her best friend was Honeybee, she planned to let it slip sooner or later when she got the chance. Aurore wasn’t really subtle about it, and Marinette _ knew _for a fact that she didn’t own a cat. So that left only one option, really. Plus, how many dirty blondes from Martinique were there in Paris? 

“So yeah,” Nino went on. “As much as I love Paris’ guardians like anyone else, there’s got to be some other way for us to get the scoops, you know what I mean? Like, can we just put a bell on this kid? Or a leash or something because really man…”

“Nino, did you know I had a run-in with Honeybee yesterday?” Adrien asked. “Didn’t get an interview out of it but… Honeybee knows me! My blog! She thinks it's awesome! Awesome! _ Awesooome!” _

Nino sighed and there was a thud as his head hit the desk. Marinette giggled and Lila rolled her eyes. Nooroo meanwhile frowned. He’d detected Duusu’s presence at the Louvre a few days back. It was just for a brief few seconds or so, but he knew his twin was out and about that day. So, Paon hadn’t transformed outside the museum and just snuck in. They had been one of the guests that day. Well, that narrowed it down… sorta. He’d also detected Duusu a few more times before that, but they’d been scattered all over Paris. Well, that was to be expected he supposed. He sighed and gave out a little sneeze. He couldn’t think properly with this cold.

Maybe he should have forced the issue, Marinette could make up her schoolwork really. He needed to see The Great Guardian and soon otherwise Marinette would not be able to transform properly. Actually, now that he thought about it, it was high time Marinette met the Guardian properly. He knew things Nooroo didn’t, really. Ancient magicks that might have been able to narrow the search down for Duusu considerably, maybe even point to Paon’s household. On the other hand, meeting with him was dangerous. 

Nooroo rubbed his head, oh great he was starting to get a headache. Just lovely. Meeting with Fu might have been a dangerous choice, especially with Paon running about the city. He -or she- obviously knew where Fu lived, or at least the general area and the possibility of Paon getting another Miraculous was… scary to say the least. Paon was already doing enough damage with Duusu, Nooroo didn’t want to imagine the possibility of having access to something like the Mouse or the Horse! Nooroo shivered, though he couldn’t tell if it was from fear or from his cold. Oh, now his head was really starting to hurt. Okay, yeah, it was from the cold.

He chuckled at the irony. He was immortal, and had seen everything from the Black Plague to the Spanish Inquisition and the thing that caused him the most distress? A simple, honest to Tikki cold borne from a Parisian rainstorm. There was something inherently Plagg-like about that, he supposed. It was bad luck, plain and simple. Oh well, at least today, for the most part, seemed to be going well. No supervillain attacks -yet- and Marinette was managing to handle her schoolwork. And to make things even better, she’d managed to make nice with that Adrien kid! Even if he was a bit of… well, a bit of a free spirit if he was to be nice about it Nooroo supposed. He was a cat, definitely a cat. Something told Nooroo that in another life and in another timeline, Adrien would have been absolutely _ perfect _for Plagg’s powers. 

\------------

The bell ringing to say the school had finally let out was quite possibly the best sound Nooroo had heard all century. As soon as the last bell rang, Nooroo was quite tempted to shout “FREEDOM!” to the heavens. Oh, it seemed his holder was rubbing off on him. Wait, wasn’t her birthday coming up soon…? Maybe it was time to get started on that Kwagatama of his. 

“Achoo!” Nooroo sneezed. Okay, maybe later. ** _KABOOM! _ **Okay, yeah, definitely maybe later. 

“Well, someone’s not waiting around are they…?” Aurore muttered from beside Marinette as they both flinched at the sound. “Maybe Paon got a huge ton of homework and wants to blow off some steam.”

“By blowing something up?” Marinette asked, eyebrow raised. “Welp, Aurore, guess it’s time for you to transform!”

Now Aurore was the one who looked like she’d been hit over the head via a codfish. At once, she immediately began to spit out denials “...wait, how did you even? I’m not Honeybee, ‘cause if I am I’d be a much better liar and… oh shit.”

“Yeah, you’re a terrible liar Aurore, I know you don’t even own a cat,” Marinette drawled. “Plus, I sorta saw your kwami buzzing about my flowerbeds a day or so ago.”

“How do you even know what a kwami is?” Aurore interrogated before her eyes widened. “Oh… wait. OH! Oh no… Oh, you are, aren’t you? I should have known!” she practically squealed before bringing Marinette into a hug.

“Um, surprise? I guess the bug’s out of the bag?” Marinette smiled weakly. “Totally not a fan of how this happened really. I had it all planned out how it would go down. Though I suspect Nooroo probably didn’t want me to reveal my identity, like at all.”

“Oh well,” Pollen said as she appeared from out of Aurore’s bookbag with a shrug. “Whatever keeps the hive’s harmony in check. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and quite honestly having you two make up silly stories for weeks on end was probably going to get old real fast. Now, uh, don’t you have a certain something to do?”

“I’m sorry Nooroo, right after this. First things first I suppose…” Marinette whispered before she shared a nod with Aurore, nobody around to see them. “Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!”

“Pollen, Buzz On!”

\------------

It didn’t take long for Honeybee to be joined by Marinette’s champion, Rogercop by her side once again. And once again, they were pursuing Paon across the rooftops, buildings passing by in a blur of motion. 

“Law and Order will prevail in the streets of Paris,” Rogercop said as his police car rocketed over the streets. Paon tossed some exploding feathers, only for the car to do a barrel roll. “Violation of the peace will not be tolerated, nor will resisting arrest. You are being charged with being a public menace, Paon Blue. Turn yourself in quietly and your sentence may be reduced.”

If Rogercop noticed his powers weren’t as strong as usual, he said nothing of it. Honeybee zipped by in a flash of yellow. “Anyone want to bet that she’s going to say something like: ‘You can’t take me alive, copper!’? Like, anyone want to bet? It’s standard criminal dialogue isn’t it?”

“Paon is no standard criminal,” Rogercop pointed out before his point was soundly proven when razor feathers sheared off the roof of his car. “...I did not put in a request for a convertible. That will be another mark against you. I am afraid you will be not getting your reduced sentence.”

“She’ll be lucky to get bail!” Honeybee shouted, swinging around and sidekicking Paon across a rooftop. Shingles flew everywhere as Paon was sent flying, dragged along the ground by Honeybee. Paon recovered and flipped behind Honeybee in a blur of motion. She sliced at the air, her opponent having moved backwards in a jet of motion at the very last moment. 

Honeybee let out a grunt of pain as she was kneed in the stomach before Paon grabbed her by the shoulder and tossed her into a chimney. Recovering her wits at the very last moment, the blond rebounded off the brick structure and aimed herself to kick the peacock villain square in the face. Paon grabbed her by the ankle and tossed her. Eyes widened, Honeybee compensated and flipped onto the roof of Rogercop’s car. “Guess we can add assault and battery to the list of charges hmm?”

“Agreed,” Rogercop said before firing a series of laser handcuffs at Paon who either used a series of complicated acrobatics to dodge them or sliced them apart with her fan. Her eyes widened as Rogercop leaped out of his car, and with a thud -with such force to crack the rooftop beneath his boots- landed in front of her. “Please stop resisting or I will be forced to apply even more force.”

Paon smirked before taking a running leap, using Rogercop’s helmet as a stepping stool. Flipping in midair, she landed in front of Honeybee who let out another yelp. Another slash with her fan, and this time Honeybee’s blood was drawn. Paon chuckled. “Now this is the battle I’ve been wanting. Miraculous user to Miraculous user, someone who understands me completely!”

“Oh, I understand you enough,” Honeybee said kneeing her opponent in the stomach and punching her in the face. “I understand you’re nuts!”

Paon wiped the blood from her face, letting out a growl. She heard the sound of Rogercop’s gauntlets whirring to life, and then looked to see Honeybee smirking. “Gotcha. So, which is it? Facing him or me? Or are you going to create some sort of sentimonster to get yourself out of this like last time? Go on, I know how your powers work, you need a surge of strong emotion. Anger, or despair, or heartbreak. I think you’ll find none of that today.”

Paon practically _ snarled _ as she realized that damnable Bee was exactly right. In fact, the citizens of Paris were practically _ cheering _ Honeybee and her partner for the day on. She heard it. _ “Honeybee! Honeybee! Rogercop! Rogercop!” _

And if that wasn’t enough… _ “Pa~pillion! Pa~pillion!” _

“See, told you,” Honeybee said with a grin. “Now, who will it be? Me or Officer Raincomprix? My sting, or his handcuffs?”

But the victory, at least for the moment, was not to be. Marinette’s control over her champion was beginning to loosen as Nooroo’s sickness worsened. Rogercop staggered and out of the corner of her eyes, Lila noticed. She smirked. “Mhmm, maybe not today. You may want to check on your little friend, it seems your Lady is having technical difficulties.”

“W-What?” Honeybee stammered out only to get roundhouse kicked in the face as Rogercop slumped forwards, his costume fading. A Tenshi fluttered weakly away as Paon smirked. 

“May want to check on him, just sayin’,” Paon remarked as she leaped off with a cry of: “Toodles!”

Honeybee leaped off Roger’s car just in time, before it landed in the streets below with an explosion. “O-Officer, are you alright?” Honeybee asked helping him up ignoring the flashing cameras. She shot a deathly glare at some of the paparazzi, and for the moment they seemed to get the message and backed off. 

“Y-Yeah, but Lady Papillion, something’s wrong with her powers, I… I don’t know what it is but…” Roger said weakly.

_ “Marinette!” _Aurore thought, a rush of worry filling her. Back in another alleyway -again with the alleyways, this was getting so out of hand!- Marinette’s transformation released itself. 

“N-Nooroo, speak to me!” Marinette said as she held the little god in her hands. He let out a weak moan. “Oh god, you’re worse than I thought.”

“N-No, you have to transform, and capture Paon! You almost had them this time!” Nooroo pressed. “I… I can manage it, the emotions of Paris are at their height! You can create a really strong Champion!

But Marinette was having none of that and put her foot down. “No, Paon’s not worth it, they’re not worth your life. We need to get you help, you understand? Like, right now! I dismissed you once. I'm not making the same mistake twice! We've gotta get you to the healer now. Now, what’s the address?”

Nooroo mustered up just enough strength to speak and soon Marinette found herself on the banks of the Seine, at a massage parlor. Oddly, the man who owned it seemed to be strangely familiar, though where Marinette had seen him before she couldn’t quite remember… 

Currently, he was hitting a gong and chanting in some ancient language, while Nooroo rested on a mat. “Is he going to be okay?” Marinette asked worriedly.

The elderly gentleman, Chinese from the look of it, gave Marinette a warm smile. She wasn’t _ quite _sure how banging a gong and chanting helped a magical little god, but whatever worked in a pinch. Nooroo trusted this man however, and so should she. “One who is burning with impatience can never eat hot porridge.” the man said.

“....Um… Okay? What does this have to do with eating?” Marinette asked in confusion and the man simply chuckled.

“Silence, please. Reading energies,” the man said placing both of his hands over Nooroo. He looked back up at Marinette. “...what type of cat did you say your ‘Nooroo’ was?”

Marinette’s brain went into panic mode, and she quickly thought up an excuse. “Cat? Um, right. Rare hairless flying species from the Kingdom of Achu. I was allowed to have one, because I won a zoo tap-dancing contest when I was in... the Kingdom of Achu!”

The man stared at her, and Marinette had a feeling he knew she was lying. He banged his gong one more time, and soon Nooroo was flying into Marinette’s arms. He nuzzled and cuddled into her, Marinette looking at him warmly. “Mm-hmm. Unusual,” the man said.

“Yes, yes… very,” Marinette said with a smile. “But I wouldn’t change him for the world… Thank you, you're a real magician, sir! Like, I really can’t thank you enough. How did you do that?”

“Ancient Chinese secret,” the man smiled secretly to himself, and if Marinette had stayed longer she would have heard: “...Just like yours.”

\------------

“Oh Nooroo, I should have paid more attention to you,” Marinette said as she wheeled herself to a safe spot to transform. “Like, I knew something was wrong and I should have pressed you for it!”

“And I should have pressed you to help me earlier,” Nooroo said gently. “But the past is the past, we cannot change it no matter how much we want to. Now Marinette, you must stop Paon, and help Aurore!”

“Right! Nooroo, time to… Oh, this isn’t going to do at all, isn’t it? Everyone will see us!”

“In the future, I will have my butterflies look for a safe spot to transform you,” Nooroo said. “For now, we must stick to the alleyways… again. Now Marinette, you know what to do, right?”

Wheeling herself into a safe location, Marinette nodded. “Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!”

Meanwhile, Aurore found herself battling against Paon once again atop the Petit Palais. Blocking punches and dodging slashes of the peacock villain’s fan, she worried and fretted over Marinette. If her powers were out of whack, something must have been wrong. Any number of things, even! Oh god, if she’d gotten hurt while on duty Aurore would never have been able to forgive herself. She was her sister in but blood and the Martinique-borne girl pledged herself to look after Marinette after they’d met that lonely rainy day. Forever and always. It was then, as Paon grabbed her by the mask her heart nearly stopped. 

“Who are you!?!” Paon snarled.

“I could ask the same of you,” Aurore said, getting in one last moment of snark before the reveal. And again Paon tugged.

“Why… why won’t this come off?” Paon asked before Aurore heard the most wonderful sound in her life. The sound of sirens.

“Um… magic?” Honeybee asked before Paon was rammed and sent flying by Rogercop’s car.

“Justice will prevail in the streets of Paris!” he shouted and Honeybee ran on top of Roger’s car, denting the hood. 

“Tell me she’s alright, tell me she’s alright!” Honeybee shouted before a purple butterfly-shaped mask formed around Roger’s face. 

“I’m fine, Aurore,” the Lady of Paris -who wasn’t quite a lady just yet- said and Aurore smiled in relief. “Me and Nooroo are absolutely fine.”

“Never… never do that again okay Mari?” Honeybee asked throwing caution to the wind for the moment, hoping Roger couldn’t hear. “Please, don’t do that again!”

“I promise,” Marinette said through the link. “I promise. Now, let’s go get Paon, okay?”

Though the chase was long and hard, sadly once again Paon managed an escape when both Aurore and Marinette’s timers ran out. Thankfully, Roger had remembered none of Honeybee and Marinette’s shared conversation, or if he did was saying nothing about it. Now though, there were other matters to attend to.

Adrien was confused, as he found himself with a note saying to report to the Kiosque des Champs-Elysées. Maybe it was a love letter from an adoring fan, at least that’s what he first thought anyways. But then again, the butterfly marking on the letter said otherwise…

“Um… hello?” Adrien asked with a baton in one hand and his phone in the other as he peered into the darkened park. Then, he found himself swept off his feet by a swarm of… butterflies(?) and the next thing he knew, he was in front of both Lady Papillion -sitting in a hoverchair- and Honeybee.

“W-wait, what?” Adrien managed to gasp out.

“So, we heard you wanted to interview us?” the Lady of Paris asked, the butterflies swarming around her hand. Adrien’s shout of joy could be heard for miles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first off big shout out to Reine Nuite for the opening, like huge inspiration there. But yeah, this is basically the Princess Fragrance of the story at least in plot. Also, yeah no new heroes today. I'm just reusing old ones. Hey, if Hawk Moth can do the same thing with his villains, why can't I with heroes? ...Plus, I didn't have any room to fit another character's arc in here. But rest assured, the next chapter will have some huge heavy focus on our daredevil ray of sunshine. Oh yes. Also, yeah, the playing with your emotions was intentional. They *almost* had Paon in their grasp. This chapter, at least for the moment was meant to contain both Marinette and Aurore's highest moment and then their lowest. Also, I don't know if Aurore is Martinique-borne but I made her here in keeping with Astruc's love of diversity. 
> 
> Next time, Adrien has to, uh, be the Bee when Aurore is temporarily taken out of commission...
> 
> 11/19/20 AN: performed some edits to make the story's opening look less like a ripoff Reine Nuite. Maybe it never did, but it bothered me enough.


	9. 9: Bee-nevolent

Marinette, as a fashion designer had developed the ability to notice things. Such as whenever Aurore walked into the room, she practically glided into the room as if she owned it. Usually she did, to be fair. Shoulders set, eyes straight forward with a brightness like the sun. Goodbye cloudy days. Her smile was proud as well, radiant even. Adrien Agreste was different. Similar, but different. He did have some of that model strut down, but it was more flexibly casual. His eyes sparkled with teenage rebellion, his hair a bit messy and defiant. 

“Oh, so the fair sunshine child in his castle comes down to this humble little bakery,” Aurore said with a cup of tea in hand. She spun her parasol playfully, her eyes twinkling with teasing delight. She gestured to the many confections around her. “I should warn you, this place is full of delightful temptation.”

“Oh, hey Aurore,” Adrien waved, already he had been accepted into their little circle of friends without much bother or hassle. “So, how goes the preparations for that KIDZ+ thing? The, uh, weather girl thing?”

“Oh please, I’ve got this in the bag. I’ve got this nailed,” Aurore said sipping her tea. “Listen, do you doubt all of this will break through the fog of people’s minds?”

Here she gestured to herself with great gusto, practically oozing confidence. Adrien was of a different mind. He remarks: “You’re cocky.”

“My win is secured,” Aurore said. For the first time Adrien notices her dress, a variation on her usual theme. Polka dots replaced with clouds, white and puffy. “I apologize for how this sounds, but Mirelle? Friendly, but way too shy for her own good. Can’t even look at the camera, how is she supposed to be the weather girl?”

“I was shy too once, remember?” Marinette points out and Aurore had the decency to look guilty. “So yeah, give her a chance.”

“I’m with Marinette on this,” Adrien says ever a ray of sunshine in this gloomy grey moments. “I wouldn’t underestimate Mirelle. Take it from me, cute generally gets a lot of people on someone’s side.”

“And hot and sexy doesn’t?” Aurore asked with a scoff and Adrien noted her tea was honey-based. Okay, so maybe she was a fan of Honeybee. Who wasn’t? Lots of people took honey in their… no, bad brain he tells himself. He promised himself he’d never go after the identities. 

“Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyways,” Marinette says before an argument can erupt. “Papa’s trying a new recipe for baguettes. He needs taste testers, actually.”

“So that means we’re the guinea pigs, right?” Adrien says warily. He knows it should be alright, he’s heard rave reviews of the Boulangerie Patisserie and has no reason to doubt but… And all doubts are washed away by the sheer bliss shoved in his mouth then and there. He looked to his left and saw Aurore hastily devouring her own bread. It wasn’t very lady-like but quite honestly he couldn’t blame her.

“You know, if you put on weight for the final voting round, it might affect your score…” Adrien jokes and Aurore gives him her best ‘serious business’ eyes.

“Don’t even joke about that Agreste,” Aurore says and for some reason Adrien is so turned on. “Or I’ll put a parasol between your eyes.”

A faint snicker came from somewhere above them, and Adrien looked to see a bee buzzing about. Well, he thought it was a bee anyways. Must have been some new subspecies. Marinette laughed nervously, it was a cute sort of laugh, the little ‘eh-he-he-he…’ she made. Oh dear god, what was wrong with him? Was he turning into some sort of harem protagonist? Damn you puberty! 

_ “So yeah, what do you want to know, Mr. Agreste?” said the Lady Papillion from on the screen, her chair hovering above the gazebo like some sort of female Professor X. Somewhat nervously, she played with a lock of her hair. “Suppose you were sorta overdue for some sort of interview. Actually, Paris is long overdue I suppose.” _

_ “Yeah, it totally is,” Honeybee puts in with a smirk. “Like, yeah I know we’re not supposed to be megastars -though I will totally disagree with you on that girl- but heroes are supposed to be ‘of the people’. Do you want to know why I loved Green Arrow so much as a kid? Well, there you go. Never rose above the people he was supposed to protect. Also, drop the Mr. Agreste thing, it’s way too formal.” _

_ “W-Well, it’s only polite…” Papillion says with a stutter as Honeybee laughs. _

_ “You’re way too cute girl, like you really are. Cute as a button confirmed. Put that on Instagram Adrien, I know you have an account!” _

_ Here Papillion blushes red. _

Marinette wheeled herself over to Adrien’s table and peered over his shoulder inquisitively. “Oh wait, is that the new BugOut interview? I got a notification last night that something got posted but…”

Okay, truth be told she was wiped from that interview and had no reason to check it because she already knew what it contained. Nor did she want to relive some hugely embarrassing moments. Oh, she so seriously hated Aurore for that little joke right now. “...I was so tired from my schoolwork -hello weekend- that I decided to put it off till tomorrow.” Marinette continued with Aurore nodding in sympathy.

_ “Annnnnnnnnnnyways, yeah, Honeybee’s right. Like, so seriously right. We’re here to help, and quite honestly, I do think it’d make people more comfortable if I wasn’t some woman… well, not woman but not some girl of mystery. You know what I mean?” Papillion agreed with a trace of awkwardness. Well, that could be forgiven. This was her first real contact with her people outside of that one speech she made against Paon that very first time. Until now, they only knew her as that one person who made you into a superhero, like some guardian angel too dangerous… no, not dangerous, more like too pure to touch. Honeybee in some ways, was more popular. She was more free-spirited, more… public than her partner. _

_ “Oh, people know you, you’re not totally mysterious girl,” Honeybee waved her off confident -Adrien would have said cocky- as ever. She had this vibe about her, one that made you want to really be her best friend. Like Doctor number 10, but maybe less messianic. Okay, a lot less messianic. “I mean, your champions know you, right? They can voice for your credentials.” _

_ “Three champions,” says Papillion holding up her fingers for emphasis. “Just three!” _

_ “Well, three seems to be the magic number, like the whole power of three and all that,” Adrien starts to say before Honeybee interrupts. Clearly, she is the more talkative of the duo. _

_ “Please, no math jokes. I only just now finished a math exam at my school, and ugh, I think I still have cramps from sitting in that chair so long…” Honeybee shudders. _

“So casual…” Tom said as he peered over his daughter’s shoulder. “Like, true hero of the people. Both of them, I mean.”

Marinette blushes a bright red and hopes nobody notices. Her father’s next comment didn’t help. “A true Lady of Paris, Le Papillon. Isn’t that what they’re calling her on Instagram? Very admirable.”

“A-Admit it dad, you just want to be turned into The Baker don’t you?” Marinette stammered out. “Beating up supervillains with a rolling pin, now that’s an image. Bit silly maybe, but it’s still one I’d like to see. My Papa, the hero.”

“Oh stop, you’re embarrassing me!” Tom said flushing a bright red. Apparently, some traits ran in the family Adrien noted. It was… warm in here. That good kind of warm. The kind, he admits to himself, he wished his own household was. He loved his père, he really did but… all the same… No, best not to think about that right now. 

“Yeah, it is Mr. Dupain-Chang,” Adrien said holding up his phone. Sure enough, the hottest trending hashtag is #LePapillionTrueLadyofParisOurSavior. Obviously, this does nothing to help Marinette’s stomach from doing so many flip-flops she thinks she might keel over. Good grief, did they really think that much of her? Talk about the pressure… (She has a sneaking suspicion who started that hashtag.)

“Please, call me Tom,” Tom corrected the young boy. “No need to be so formal here, I hate that. You’re a friend of my daughter’s, so you’re plenty welcome here. Shame that Lila girl doesn’t come over here so often, really… I think I know how to whip up some Torrone or some Frittelles, or ooh, even some Tiramisu!”

Marinette laughed at her father geeking out over some new pastry delight before turning her attention back to the interview. _ “So, um, yeah Paris. We’re your guardians, and while we won’t be open to every question, it feels totally wrong to just leave you in the dark. Leave you guessing about us. That’s Paon’s modus operandi, not ours. And rest assured, we will find and bring Paon to justice. We will not bow to the whims of a terrorist. Paris is strong, we are Parisians. Viva La Paris! ...Oh dear god, I’m not overdoing it right? Tell me I’m not.” _

Marinette wanted to facepalm so badly. Ugh, first she sounded way too confident and then she totally screwed that up. Oh, she felt like she just wanted to die a little inside from the humiliation of it all. _ “No no, you were doing fine,” Honeybee tells her onscreen, telling her verbal blunder was basically nothing. “But yeah, basically telephone lines are open.” _

_ “So, if that’s the case, where did your powers come from?” Adrien asked and hoped that wasn’t too forwards of him. “Were you bit by some radioactive bugs, created at Nogent-sur-Seine? Okay, sorry, lame joke. Really lame.” _

_ Well, it defused the mood a bit. Showed that the interviewer was just as awkward here as the interviewees. “Well, we can’t say too much just in case -can’t be too careful- but jewelry. Yeah, ancient enchanted jewelry. We suspect Paon has the same thing as well. As our Champions no doubt know, we intend to find and retrieve this Miracle Charms -Miraculous for shorthand- and return it to its proper owner.” _

Okay, yeah that wasn’t a total lie. Nooroo had informed Marinette that long ago, some mage lost to history had created the Miraculous, drawing the kwamis out of their energy forms. _ “When you say Champions does that imply you, Papillion will always be sitting on the sidelines?” _

_ Oooh, yeah that was a good question. At the time, Marinette didn’t know quite how to respond but she quickly recovered herself. And then she spoke, surprisingly confident. Her voice wavered but for the most part it stayed strong and true. “N-No, I don’t intend to fight from the sidelines. N-Not always. I don’t want to hole myself up in a bunker, so to speak. I will not be that general.” _

Okay, maybe she was too quick to reply. But one wrong move -Honeybee had told her of the whims of the media- and people would pounce on her. Oh, Marinette felt like such a doofus for jumping in so quickly when even _ she _ didn’t know how to proceed at times. But a fire had blazed inside her just then, feeling as if she was being called a coward. Okay, so maybe Adrien hadn’t actually _ intended _ for it to come off that way but… Marinette sucked in a breath. _ “Rest assured, we are working on a plan of action to apprehend Paon. I won’t lie to you, it may be weeks or it may be months from now when Paon’s reign finally ends. No, not reign. We will not bow to this false face, this false Parsian. A true Parisian helps her people. Paon does not!” _

Hmm, maybe Nooroo’s words had ignited that fire. Or merely stoked it. Marinette didn’t know. _ “That is… actually very informative,” Adrien says to the Lady of Paris. “And I’m sure our city feels more confident knowing that both you and your partner are on the up and up. That you and Honeybee intend to save us. Thank you for this.” _

_ “Weeeeeeeeeell,” Honeybee says finally getting that chance to speak again. “Like you said, we needed to inform the populace of who we are, like who we really are. Now one final word. Paon, watch out. We’re coming for you!” _

Maybe the challenge was a bit too far, Marinette thinks. Maybe calling Paon out would only lead to trouble. But then again, as Aurore herself would likely say, this was only the calm before the storm. And when it came, the storm would be a gale.

\------------

“I saw your interview,” Wang Fu says. “I’m very proud of you Marinette. I knew I made the right choice.”

_ “You’re…. You’re not a vet, are you?” Marinette said skeptically. “Like, you seriously can’t be. I know my lies are bad, and I think I swore I’ve seen you somewhere… hey, wait, weren’t you that guy who was looking for his granddaughter? In fact I know you were, I directed you to Mr. Markoff’s classroom! Down the hall, first door to your left. just past the bathrooms. Isn’t that what I said?” _

_ “That you did, you have a great memory Marinette. That was your first day of school, that wasn't a chance meeting either,” the man says. “I had my doubts, I will admit, but you’ve proven yourself to be a fantastic Papillion.” _

_ “So who are you?” Marinette asks and soon her question is answered as a little green sprite with the shell of a turtle floats up. _

_ “This is Master Fu, the great guardian of the Miraculous. The… the last guardian, actually,” the kwami said sadly, and Marinette knew him to be a kwami. What else could he possibly be? “My name is Wayzz, young miss. The turtle and the kwami of Protection.” _

_ “We guardians are responsible for protecting and distributing the Miraculous, for the good of all humanity. We are chosen in childhood and trained for many years, specially for this mission. When we were much, much younger, we… no, I made a mistake and the miraculous were lost to history. I escaped with only this one Miracle Box,” Fu said and went over to an old phonograph. Here he pressed a sequence of buttons and the phonograph opened to reveal slots for seventeen -Marinette had to fight back a gasp- Miraculous. Obviously, the slots for the Bee, Butterfly, Turtle and Peacock were empty. “You must never reveal the location of this box, Duusu being stolen was my mistake. I was careless to leave her brooch out in the open. And someone took it. I have my suspicions as to who, but…” _

_ “Tell me Master, tell me who!” Marinette shouted. _

_ “No, we do not act hastily in this battle, we don’t act on suspicions. We need confirmed proof,” Fu reprimanded reaching for a slot in the Miracle Box. For the first time, Marinette notices the theming of the box. Two slots for Yin and Yang, five for the five elements -wood, fire, earth, metal, and water- and 12 for the Chinese Zodiac. He reaches for a pendant necklace, slotted in a pink drawer. “Which is why there is a plan in place. The next time a Sentimonster is created, I will follow the amok back to Paon’s hiding place.” _

_ “Right, there is a problem Master,” Marinette said. “Paon has a tendency to join the battle herself lately. What if…?” _

_ “Paon still retreats after every battle, correct? Even they have a time limit, and the amok must return to its master somewhere correct?” _

_ “Oh, um… right. Sorry, silly me…” Marinette mumbled to herself and gave out a nervous little laugh. Master Fu smiles at her. _

_ “No, do not put yourself down young Marinette,” he said respectfully. “You have good ideas, critical thinking is a necessity in being a superhero. All you are doing is proving to me more and more that you were exactly the right choice for becoming the next Butterfly.” _

_ Marinette blushed heavily under the praise, she really didn’t have that many adults in her life aside from her parents that were this supportive of her. Most… just brushed her aside. “T-Thank you Master Fu, like thank you. I’m… I’m still trying to figure all this out, and I…” _

_ “Do not fret young Marinette,” Master Fu said again laying a supportive hand on her shoulder. “You were never alone in this fight. You have your Bee, and now I am on your side. I will help you when it is required, and I will teach you everything I can about the many mysteries of the Miraculous. A very wise man once said this: “Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” Are you a curious sort, Marinette Dupain-Chang?” _

_ “Yes… Um, I’d like to think I am, actually. Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment. Isn’t that the saying?” _

_ “Lao Tzu, you know your philosophers well Marinette,” Fu praised, his ancient eyes widening in surprise. A tea kettle let out a piercing whistle and Master Fu walked over to it. “Here’s another one for you. “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” _

_ As they drank their tea, Marinette wondered. Should she bring Aurore in to meet Master Fu soon, or did she even need to know? Perhaps Pollen had already told her or introduced her. “So you’re saying you want me to guide Paris, in some way? I mean, Nooroo had already told a Butterfly’s role was to guide others, help them be better but… But I’m not sure I can. I mean, I can try but…” _

_ “No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try,” Master Fu said and Marinette blinked in surprise before she fought back a laugh. Who knew the ancient decades-old Guardian of the Miraculous was a fan of Star Wars of all things! Master Fu noticed the expression on her face. “Don’t look so surprised Marinette. It IS the most popular sci-fi franchise in the world for a reason…” _

“I… I dunno actually,” Marinette admitted. “I mean, issuing that challenge to Paon? Was it really our brightest move?”

“Paon is rash and impetuous,” Master Fu advised. “They act without thinking, often in careless fashion. They want to be adored, for all the limelight to be on them. It would only be a matter of time before they did something even without us prompting them to.”

“Yes, but now we’ve issued the challenge, so Paon will respond,” Nooroo said. “It’s like playing one massive chess game. The next move is Paon’s, so now we must wait… and watch.”

“Like the calm before the storm…” Marinette muttered before she let out a yelp as she realized. Aurore! Oh my god, she’d completely forgotten about her in all of this! Quickly going for her phone, she turned to the BugOut blog which was on a live stream. She remembered Adrien’s words to her.

_ “Competition breeds anxiety, like a lot of it. There are millions of people watching this, at the very least all of Paris’ eyes are on Aurore and Mirelle. And Paon, he or she feeds on emotions right? So, the way I suspect it, chances are whoever loses will probably be Amokatized and we’ll have a sentimonster on the loose. The way I see it, better to stream this just in case Honeybee and Lady Papillion are watching and waiting for Paon’s next move right?” _

“That boy…” Master Fu mused as he looked over Marinette’s shoulder. “He is rather clever isn’t he?”

The tension was so thick you could cut the air with a knife, as Alec kept the crowd roaring. Marinette heard both Aurore and Mirelle’s names being chanted, and she was tempted to join in. She looked to her left and saw both Nooroo and Wayzz already had. _ “Welcome to the finals of our KIDZ+ competition! When today, one lucky winner will be announced as our brand new KIDZ+ weather girl! We started off with 5000 contestants. But with the help of our audience at home, we whittled our talent down to just these two amazing young ladies! So, let's welcome our fantastic finalists! To my right, Aurore Beauréal, and to my left, Mireille Caquet! Who will be the lucky winner? Vote now! Text 1 for Aurore and 2 for Mireille. And remember, standard text messaging rates apply.” _

And the winner was announced after a few anxious minutes of voting and one commercial break. Marinette’s eyes widened. Adrien had been right as well, Paon was watching, and unfurling her fan Lila smirked. The vibrations were strong this time, she could feel them. She could feel it, the anger and the sadness. The despair of a loss. A perfect little breeding ground for a sentimonster. Kissing her amok, she let it fly. 

Emotions ran rampant through Aurore’s head like a whirlwind as she walked down the halls, head hung low in shame as she fought back tears. This had to be some sort of mistake, it had to be! Something was wrong with the system! Someone… someone got it wrong! This was a travesty, she was destined to win! It… it made no sense, she thought the sun was to shine on her today! How could it, why could it not? A true tempest was boiling inside Aurore’s head as her mind became a grey gloom. It was angry, festering and violent like a storm in the American heartland. And worse still, there was no outlet for her, at least not at the moment. 

She realized far too late what was coming when she saw it, an almost beautiful blue feather flying her way. Nonononononononononono! It couldn’t be, no not her! Please, anyone but her! She swung her parasol like a woman possessed, trying oh so desperately to fight off what was coming. And then she felt it. A feather-like mask appeared over her face, as her heartbeat began to speed up. Nononono, she couldn’t let this happen. She had to fight this off, for Paris. For Marinette! 

_ “Aurore Beauréal, I am sorry you had your victory taken from you,” _ Paon’s voice said to her, sounding actually… rather sympathetic. It was even worse than if Paon sounded if they didn’t care. Damn them, damn them, they couldn’t do this to her. She was… no, her thoughts couldn’t go down that route. She couldn’t let her archenemy know, she just couldn’t! _ “You should have won, you have the talent, the star looks, everything! It disgusts me to see you lose. They took everything from you, Alec and Mirelle who can’t even look at the camera without stuttering! You want your revenge? You want to show them who a true weather girl is right? Now I’m giving you the power to show them, to show them all!” _

Aurore had been trying, she had been trying so hard to fight off the power that was rapidly consuming her. She didn’t know what exactly happened to someone who got hit with an Amok. But it looked like she was about to get a firsthand experience. She noted her comb was on the floor. Okay, good, that was something at least. Hey, wait, maybe this could be a learning experience. Maybe… no, when this next Sentimonster was defeated they could learn from this. Help people fight off the next one. Well, that left only one option then. Acceptance. She was going to do this anyways, she knew that much. Okay then, so Paon wanted a weather girl? Well, that was exactly what Paon was going to get! She felt the power envelop her. _ “Marinette, please… save me. Save Paris. I trust in you girl, now show me what you can really do. Show me what the Lady of Paris can really do!” _

And then the storm roared. 

\------------

Outside the studio, everyone wondered and waited for Mirelle. Then, the wind howled and lightning flashed in the sky above as whirling storm clouds erupted from the studio. Glass exploded and Adrien knew what had happened. Hail began to pound the streets.

“No! Aurore…” he whispered before he saw it. A massive dragon of cloud and storm raking the skies. A loud shriek split the air. Adrien knew what to do. Gesturing to the studio doors, he let out a shout of: “EVERYONE, GET INSIDE! NOW!”

He blinked as he swore he saw… something inside the storm dragon, like a figure. Could it be…? He didn’t have time to think upon this now, as he saw the dragon coming back. It seemed to spot him before it changed its mind. 

Adrien was actually more right on the money than he realized. Aurore knew he was not a part of this. Calm like a sea breeze, sunny like a warm spring day. He would be left out of this tempest. The post-storm would not affect him. Letting out a shriek, the dragon launched itself upwards, eyes crackling with a fury untold. And inside, Aurore pleaded her mind trapped somewhere between anger and terror. _ “Please Marinette, save me…” _

“Okay, um… Jesus…” Adrien said after he’d finally stopped running. “Clearly Paon was a fan of Weathervane, or something. Like, yikes. An actual dragon. How often does that… wait, what’s this?” 

He’d spotted something on the ground, it sorta resembled a comb. But it couldn’t be what he thought it was, could it? Had Honeybee dropped it? No, she wasn’t that clumsy. But the only other explanation was that… Adrien’s eyes flew open in shock as he began to connect the dots. No way, just… no way. Oh, his brain couldn’t handle this right now. Like, he seriously couldn’t process this at the moment. Oh Jesus… Okay, okay. So Honeybee wasn’t coming. But Honeybee was the dragon. She was the one who Le Papillon had to fight. And Papillion needed her partner. So that meant… Oh boy. Well, he was always chasing superheroes, he supposed the next logical step was to just become one. Just for the day. Paris needed her Bee. And for now, he’d be the bee. Huh, be the bee. Yeah, that was actually a good pun. He’d have to remember that one. 

Placing the comb in his hair, oh this was a bit embarrassing he shared a look with the little bee creature in front of him. Okay, yeah clearly there was more to this than what Papillion was sharing. Pollen was its name, no her name. Oh, Le Papillon so owed him a few explanations after all this was over. Never mind that for the moment, as now he knew what to do. What he _ needed _to do. “Pollen, Buzz On!”

And then he felt the power envelop him, and he felt… free. _ “Hold on Papillon, your partner is on his way.” _

\------------

Marinette had seen it all, and was breathing hard. No, no, no, this could not be happening. It couldn’t be, not Aurore… No, okay yeah now Paon was going down. “Sentimonsters, they’re controlled by whoever was hit with the amok right?” she asked Nooroo and it was confirmed with a nod. 

“You’re going to have to fight your best friend…” Nooroo answered nervously and Marinette’s eyes hardened, a fire blazing inside her.

“No, I’m going to SAVE my best friend. Nooroo, back me up?”

“Always. You do know the phrase right?”

“I know it by heart,” Marinette smiled. “Now Paris needs us. Nooroo-”

“No, wait!” Master Fu shouts before he hands her something. A necklace, like a fox’s tail. Then she realizes, another Miraculous? “I can’t in good conscience let you go out there by yourself. Your Bee is now your enemy, you may need an extra hand on this mission. I’m an old man, so I can’t do much. Trixx will be your ally, the Kwami who grants the power of illusion. I’m not sure about this, but you are able to unify kwamis and their powers. I planned to do the same with Mullo and Wayzz to find the owner of these amoks we face.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots two new Kwamis. One a mouse, and the other this brilliant orange fox. “Got it, now let’s do this. Master Fu, are you ready?”

“Always. Mullo, let’s get squeaky!”

“Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!”

After solidifying her power with Trixx’s own, -she’d think up a superhero name later for this form- she was treated to another shock when Fu became… well, he became as small as a mouse. Small enough to fit in the palm of her hand and small enough to hop on her shoulder. And she knows immediately who she wants as her champion. “Mightillustrator, I am in need of your services once more…”

\------------

At any other point in time, Adrien might have felt like he was on some sort of permanent high as he leaped and zipped across rooftops. So this was what it felt like, the buildings passing by in a blur and just completely and utterly free. Not even the pounding wind and rain could disrupt the sheer _ sensation _that this brought to him. Then another shriek and a scream of fear disrupted Adrien’s reverie. Oh right, of course, there was that to deal with. He had a friend to save. Looking skywards, he saw the beast winding and snaking through the dark grey skies on a… ahem, bee-line for the Eiffel Tower. He saw two small figures shaking in the beast’s grasp, and Adrien didn’t have to guess who either of them were. Tossing his top, he felt a zip and a whir as he rocketed by the dragon and was soon atop the Eiffel Tower.

He saw the beast gazing down at him, eyes flashing with a fury. The clouds rumbled angrily, and Adrien swallowed. Okay, not his best plan. Okay, correction. What plan? 

“Great…” Adrien chastised himself. “You really stepped in it this time Agreste. Okay, so maybe Aurore will listen to reason, she’s your friend right? Like…”

The dragon let out a low growl as it tossed Alec and Mirelle at Adrien’s feet. “Okay, so yeah, Alec’s a jerk,” Adrien… no. Bee-nevolent said. Oh, he was proud of himself for that one. “Doesn’t mean he deserves to get tossed off the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, he could have handled things better, broke it to you better. Maybe after this, someone will give him a crash course in etiquette. You’re better than this Aurore!”

He saw both Mirelle and Alec’s eyes widen. He ignored them. “Would Marinette want you to do this? Would she?”

Yeah, guilt-tripping. Not his brightest move in retrospect and he soon found himself flung off the Tower and into the howling winds. He braced himself as he saw the street rushing up to meet him. Well, there went his superhero career. And then he felt… well, he felt an impact. No death though. And he realized why. He was laying in a massive… baseball glove? 

“A-Adrien?” Nathaniel stammered out in shock, not that he was the only stunned one. There was Lady Papillion, carried atop a swarm of butterflies. Mind you, last he checked Lady Papillion’s costume didn’t have that much orange in it. Nor did she carry around some massive flute. So today was a day full of surprises.

“Hey Nath, how it’s blowing?” Adrien asked awkwardly. 

“We really need to have a talk about your self-preservation instincts,” Papillion muttered though her frustration didn’t quite really meet her eyes. They sparkled with delight. “Thank you. Thank you.”

“Yeah, when you two are done?” Nathaniel/Mightillustrator asked as he gently let Adrien down atop a nearby roof. “We’ve still got a sentimonster on the loose and a classmate of mine to save.”

“What’s with the new get-up, by the way?” Adrien had to ask. “Trying a new look?”

“More like new powers for the day. Feeling a bit foxy, call me White Monarch.”

Huh, white-tailed fox + monarch butterfly? Made sense he supposed. 

“If you can get her in close, I might be able to sting Aurore,” Adrien said. “That amok of hers, it’s got to be in her parasol. She’s always carrying it around right?”

“We need some sort of distraction…” Papillion murmured to herself before her eyes widened as she saw the dragon lunge at Mirelle and Alec. “Mightillustrator, get that pen of yours to work!”

Rapidly and swift the pen moved, and soon the two were protected by this big iron bell. And then more penmanship was at work, a swarm of birds flying and flocking by the dragon. Geese, fittingly. Peace was never an option, Mightillustrator thought to himself with a chuckle. Thankfully, it seemed sentimonsters weren’t… all that bright. Blowing on her flute, the next thing Papillion saw was Mirelle and Alec on a nearby rooftop. Adrien blinked. Teleportation? No, no that wasn’t it. Foxes were known for their powers of illusions in certain myths, right? Oh, it seemed whatever ‘White Monarch’ had done their quarry had noticed it as well.

The dragon let out another shriek and a roar before flying forwards, and here Adrien saw his chance. Sharing a nod with Nathaniel, he was launched upwards by a pillar erupting from the ground. Adrien went into free-fall as soon as the acceleration wore off, and he threw his top, hoping his theory was right. Success! It latched upon the dragon’s tail even as the fake Alec and Mirelle vanished in a poof of orange smoke. Letting go of the top, he found himself inside the dragon and heading right for Aurore. Angling his feet just so, he kicked her in the stomach -shouting an apology- and then roared: “VENOM!”

Aurore’s parasol came flying out of the draconic form which encased it. Protected it, even. 

“Okay, Aurore sorry about this but I’ll design you a new one… an even better one,” Marinette apologized ignoring the beeping and snapping the parasol in half with her elbow. An amok flew out, and Master Fu/Tiny Turtle did his thing hopping on the feather as it was recalled.

Aurore meanwhile dropped to the streets even as the clouds began to fade. Nathaniel reacted, and created a bounce house for her to fall in. She bounced upwards and Adrien leaped forwards and caught her. With his best winning smile, he said: “Don’t be bee-mused, it’s just the news! And the news is, looks like sunny skies all week.”

Aurore giggled. “...Oh, the forecaster is always half-wrong… You idiot.”

“Hello Honeybee,” Adrien smiled as he set her down and canceled out his transformation. “So glad to finally meet you.”

“You did… well,” Aurore appraised and caught Pollen in a nearly crushing hug. “You weren’t myself, of course, but you made a good bee. A very good bee.”

And here was Adrien trying so very hard not to go into another one of those fanboy comas. Okay, okay, he said as he calmed himself. This was Aurore, he knew her. Like, he knew her. She was cool, it was all well and good. As Papillion made herself scarce -everyone had heard the beeping- Mirelle ran up to embrace Aurore in a hug. She looked stunned by the motion, but slowly but surely accepted it. And the shocks weren’t over yet.

“For the record,” Mirelle mumbled, Pollen having made herself scarce as well. “I was one of those who voted for you. My parents, they pressured me into this, said it would help me with my self-confidence. I… I didn’t want this.”

“Not much you can do about it now, I suppose…” Aurore mumbled dejectedly. And that’s when Adrien got a crazy, stupid, but made so much sense type of idea. 

“Weeeeeeeeeeeeelllllll,” he said. “I’m sure a super famous model’s word goes a long way in some circles. I think I can fix this grievous error…” 

Aurore’s eyes _ shined _, and then next thing Adrien knew he was practically tackled to the ground. “...Um, okay then… Okay, yeah losing air now! Help!”

\------------

Master Fu had followed the amok through the arrondissements, his clones following. It was a risk today to have so many of the Miraculouses out in the open. But it was a risk worth taking. All to find Duusu and reunite her with her fellow kwamis.

He frowned, this was the 8th arrondissement, probably one of the wealthiest sections in all of Paris. More to the point, it was Avenue Montaigne, probably the most high-end street in Paris. A mecca of Parisian luxury, probably the closest equivalent to it was Madison Avenue in New York.

Well, it sorta figured that Paon would choose to live in a high-end district, really. Behind closed walls such as these, nobody knew what exactly went on. It would have been the perfect place to hide. A theory began to come to mind, as all the puzzle pieces began to slowly fit together. _ “Oh, Marinette… I’m so sorry.” _

Back at Master Fu’s massage parlor, Adrien and Aurore listened animatedly as Lady Papillon -Lady Papillon, not Marinette. One too many identities had been exposed today already- explained as best as she could about Master Fu, the Kwamis, everything she knew. She’d also explained everything that she could. 

“Oh wow, talk about a history…” Adrien muttered as he struggled to take it all in. “Like, wow! Not sure I can handle all of this at once!”

“But you _ can _keep it a secret right?” Lady Papillon asked, her eyes narrowed dangerously. “The only reason I’m explaining this to you is because you saw how our powers worked. If it was up to me, you’d just keep thinking we got our powers from magical jewels.”

“Well, we technically do…” Aurore deadpanned. 

“Not helping…” Lady Papillon mumbled. 

“Just sayin’,” Aurore shrugged as she sipped her tea. 

“Relax,” Adrien reassured. “I can keep a secret. Oh sure, my brain’s still processing all of this but yeah I can keep a secret.”

“Even from Paon?” Lady Papillon pressed. 

“Well, hey, if Master Fu’s plan all goes well,” Aurore remarked. “We won’t have to worry about Paon for much longer right?” 

“That’s true…” Lady Papillon conceded, with Trixx rubbing her shoulders comfortingly. “I just want this day to be over, this… this week. Like, as soon as we’re all done with this, I’m probably going to just crawl into bed and sleep forever!”

“You and me both,” Aurore said. “Oh sure, I’ll have the modeling gigs from now on, but it looks like the skies are getting sunny again. Paon’s going to behind bars any day now, just you watch and wait!”

“Well, you’re sunny again,” Adrien observed. “Like, you’re back to your old self really. Marinette’s going to be so pleased!”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh ggggooooodddd,” Aurore said as she realized. She knew she’d have to keep up the secret just that little bit longer. Thankfully, Pollen had taught her a few things. Apparently, she knew how to make up excuses on the fly. Then again, Aurore mused as she noticed the looks sent towards a certain Kwami of Illusion well… She had a sneaking suspicion as to why. “Marinette said she was going to watch me on the TV! She saw me lose, and then she saw me turn into that… thing!”

“I’m also quite sure that she knows the heroes of Paris were on the job,” Adrien said with a reassuring smile. “Oh man, I wish I could blog about today, but of course… secrets secrets right?”

“Eh, I’m sure we can make an exception, right?” Lady Papillon remarked with a smirk as she turned to Aurore. “I mean, sure you’re going to have to keep a few things a secret, but yeah Paris is going to probably want explanations for why exactly Honeybee was a guy today.”

“Well, I’ll probably say that Honeybee was frozen before she could transform and I had to pick up the slack for her,” Adrien thought aloud. “That seems reasonable enough right?”

“As if I would ever get frozen by some sentimonster!” Aurore huffed before Papillon sent her a look. Aurore grumbled something under her breath but waved Adrien off. “Yeah yeah, fine. Do what you want. Might make me into more of a people's hero anyways, show them we’re not completely perfect. I mean, as much as I want to be worshipped as a goddess, I do want to actually attain a boyfriend sometime soon thank you very much!”

Adrien snorted, oh good god this was so weird. A few months ago he was in some private school upstate somewhere and now he was lounging it up with actual superheroes! One of which happened to be one of his best friends! What next, was he going to end up dating one? Then again, being the Lois Lane to someone’s Superman was a tempting prospect. He just hoped he didn’t get kidnapped quite so often. His father had enough things to worry about -most of which were Adrien’s fault he admitted- without his son being the target of supervillains.

“Wonder what’s taking Master Fu so long?” Papillon wondered to herself sipping her tea to calm herself. Her nerves were all a-jitter, the cup shaking in her hands. Good grief, she just wanted this to be over. 

“Calm down, you saw how tiny he was right?” Aurore asked. “It probably takes him a bit just to get back here! Though I do wonder if he can’t just hail a cab…”

Then, the door opened and Master Fu stepped in. His eyes widened somewhat at the large gathering but he sighed. “Oh well, better that you’re all here anyways…”

“Master, did you see who Paon was?” Papillon asked nervously.

“I was… attacked by a sentimonster, but I managed to beat it. I know where they live now though. It’s somewhere on Montaigne and oh, I’m so sorry…”

“Who, who?” Papillion asked urgently. Then her cup dropped to the floor and shattered as she heard the name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I am... totally not sorry for the pun. Also, remember when I said last time was Marinette and Aurore's highest and then lowest point? Yeah, I'm sorry. This is it. And subject to change really, knowing me.
> 
> Few things. Firstly, figured it was time Master Fu got in on the action. Mullo and Trixx appearing weren't planned, well okay Mullo was but there you go. Also, huge thanks to my fellow author Shadowmane for the suggestion of Aurore's sentimonster. He's a big Aurore fanboy. I swear he'd marry the girl if he could. But yeah, Marinette and Aurore know now. Ohhhhhh boy. The next chapter is me putting our two girls through the emotional wringer. And having them face one big-ass kitsune monster. 
> 
> Also? #LePapillionTrueLadyofParisOurSavior, pass it on why don't you?


	10. 10: Huli Jing

“Mistress, are you aware of the current situation?” Duusu asked, the little fairy god floating around Lila’s room. She was beginning to understand, at least in part. Now it had been a while since Duusu had been out in the world, at least a century really but even she could tell when a child was spoiled. Several pieces of what couldn’t be cheap jewelry lay on Lila’s desk, hanging out of a wooden box. Duusu focused her attentions on the Rossi child herself. She, like Nooroo, also had a degree of empathic ability which given the powers she bestowed upon her holder made sense. Loneliness, sadness, frustration and other emotions radiated off Lila like tidal waves. Ripples, and undercurrents of a longing soul cut through the air. To Duusu, Lila Rossi was practically an open book. While, of course, none of this actually excused Lila Rossi’s behavior in any way, Duusu was beginning to _ understand _her charge. Well, Duusu wasn’t exactly sure if ‘charge’ was the right word given she was practically a slave.

Assuming of course Master Fu didn’t find her soon, Duusu would have to work on her own plans. She thought of how the other Kwamis might work their way out of a situation like this. Trixx, the wily fox that he was, would find a way to trick his holder into giving up his necklace. Plagg would cause as much chaos as possible until the holder found the ring too much to bear. Tikki, dear Tikki would appeal to her holder’s better nature. 

Duusu wasn’t sure if that was a possibility here, still nobody was born completely good or completely evil. And given that Duusu was beginning to understand what made Lila Rossi tick, well… that changed things. She didn’t _ hate _ Lila. Oh, she was certainly afraid of Lila and what she might do, but Duusu didn’t _ hate _her. She only pitied her. 

“Yeah, saw that old man from that parlor where I found you poking around,” Lila spat, a tempest of fury. “He’s this Great Guardian you mentioned once or twice right?”

“Yes, possibly,” Duusu said nibbling on some birdseed. Well, Lila wasn’t _ completely _heartless. Or she just knew that a hungry kwami meant no sentimonsters for her. Duusu hadn’t decided yet. “I must say, his plan to attempt to find you was really quite ingenious really.”

“I’m surprised you’re not insulting me for being so careless,” Lila snorted rolling her chair backwards. “Because I was careless, I should have expected an idea like that!”

“You couldn’t have,” Duusu replied. “I’m a Kwami, and even I wasn’t expecting the Great Guardian to step in. Or at least, in that way…”

“Yes, but all the same!” Lila spat. “I was careless, I should have expected someone to follow my amoks back to this house! I knew I should have kept changing locations to keep this from happening!”

More frustration, more anger rolled off Lila in waves. Violent, angry emotions that honestly scared Duusu, making the little peacock shudder in horror. Lila, if Duusu didn’t reign her in was probably about to do something rash. Duusu bit back a smarmy comment of how she was supposed to be the emotional one in this little relationship.

Funny how the roles had been reversed, that. Duusu now found that more often than not, calmness was her friend. Made it easier to think. And getting angry with Lila probably wouldn’t help matters any, no matter how much she wanted to explode at the bratty young girl. No, no, Duusu thought as she took several deep shuddering breaths. She’d have to keep her temper with Lila, and work through this situation. 

“And to think,” Lila practically snarled. “I haven’t even managed to really meet this Lady Papillion!”

“Your devotion to your cause is really… impressive,” Duusu appraised. “If I didn’t know better, oooh, I’d almost say it’s quite romantic!” she sobbed crying tears of joy. Okay, so she couldn’t help herself. Duusu wasn’t quite over the overemotional thing just yet. It was still a work in progress okay?

“...Okay then…” Lila muttered to herself blinking at the odd sight.

“Oh Lila, I feel so sorry for you!” Duusu continued to sob, burying her face in her mistress’ neck. During the time with her, Duusu had managed to pick up a few things. One, Lila’s mother was rarely around. Two, the few pictures Lila seemed to have of her mother seemed to be in places of pride. It really wasn’t hard to form a conclusion with these facts in mind. Human customs kept changing, Duusu had seen. But she did know this much, and that parents were supposed to be with their hatchlings until they were ready to fly.

A boiling hot rage rushed through Duusu like an inferno before it was quickly quelled. Right, Duusu sorta understood Madam Rossi’s position. She seemed to be a very important person for humans, an ambassador wasn’t it? So, that left her daughter in a very interesting position. A actually very pitiable one. All the same, Duusu didn’t like it. Maybe Madame Rossi had an important job to do, but she could at least stand to spend time with her daughter more!

“You, pity me?” Lila asked and for a brief moment a completely different person began to shine through. A different girl, a shade of what Lila might have been. No, what she could be. “But… But I’ve been nothing but horrible to you!”

“But it’s all your mother’s fault,” Duusu said her emotions getting the better of her again. “If she was around more, maybe… maybe you wouldn’t be such a monster!”

Too late Duusu had realized her mistake, and a stinging slap sent her flying. “SHUT UP!” Lila barked. “My mother’s been nothing but good for me! So shut up and stop sticking your nose in things you know nothing about!”

“But…” Duusu started before she noticed Lila setting her brooch down after creating an amok. Her eyebrows rose in confusion. “Mistress?”

“I’ve… I’ve got to throw them off my tracks…” Lila whispered and too late Duusu realized. The wall of the house exploded outwards. A massive red-furred form, eyes glowing with a fiery hatred, flames licking at its tail tips began marching down the street with the sounds of destruction soon to follow. 

As Duusu watched the massive kitsune make it’s way into Paris, Duusu could only whisper: “Oh, Lila…” before she blacked out. Hot tears stung Duusu’ eyes with the brooch sucking her back in... 

\------------

“B-But L-Lila can’t be…” Marinette whispered to herself as she began to freak out. “L-Like, it’s not possible that she’s…”

Then, little by little, mysterious oddities began to add up in Marinette’s brain. Lila’s strange disappearances for one. She’d never exactly been around for one of Paon’s attacks, the first few times you could chalk it up to coincidence but right now? Marinette choked back a sob and already, Aurore rushed to comfort her.

“Deep breaths girl,” the dirty blonde said as she pushed aside her own fears and doubts. Her sister needed her right now, she could worry about her own feelings of betrayal later. “Deep breaths. We’ll figure out if Lila is or isn’t Paon when we catch her. We’ll ask her straight up, next time we fight her. Things only Lila would know, make it impossible for Paon to deny anything.”

Adrien’s mind was a blur. Lila, Paon? And now the Lady Papillon practically having a mental breakdown over that fact and Aurore rushing to comfort her almost like a… almost like a sister. Adrien’s mind thoroughly ground to a halt then and there as he realized with a soft: “Oh…”

Of course, it all made sense. How many wheelchair-bound girls were there in Paris, who just _ happened _to know Aurore this well? Of course, he was such an idiot! Like, really! He should have realized it sooner! As soon as he figured out who Aurore was, he should have figured out who Marinette was! “Marinette, Marinette…” Adrien whispered to the currently wreck of a girl ignoring her gasp of shock. “Hey hey, it’s okay. Aurore’s right. Besides, we don’t know if Lila is who we think she is. That particular section of Paris? It’s home to a number of people, right? It could be anyone on that street alone!” 

“Y-Yeah,” Marinette replied shakily as her transformation fell, Nooroo rubbing her back in a calming manner. “Y-Yeah, you’re probably right. Oh god, I’m such a wreck…”

“No, no, I understand…” Adrien whispered to her as Aurore returned with Master Fu’s special tea. Marinette began drinking the tea, her body still tense. “Q-Quite f-frankly, I’m still not sure what to think either. I mean, Lila seemed so nice and yet…” 

He wanted to say ‘and that’s how sociopaths work right?’ but thought the better of it. Marinette didn’t need this right now, she didn’t. Neither her nor Aurore needed that. They needed reassurance, not brutal honesty and fingers pointed. They didn’t need character assassination. God only knew how Nath was doing, he hadn’t said a word throughout all of this. He had to be taking this the worst of all, given how close he and Lila seemed to be. All of them, right now? They needed a calm in the storm. Unfortunately, that storm continued to brew as an explosion sounded, Adrien racing towards the window as smoke rose from somewhere in Paris. 

“Turn on the news,” Nathaniel said finally speaking. And when the group did, they were greeted with a sight. No rest for the weary it seemed, as Nathaniel was quick to remark. A massive monster fox, nine tails wrapped in chains and glowing with fire rounded a corner in the 5th arrondissement. Cars were sent flying and the creature let out a howl of rage, the inside of it’s throat glowing a bright fierce orange, eyes alight with a furious flame.

“A Huli Jing…” Marinette whispered and all heads turned to her. “S-Sorry, it’s just in Chinese myth foxes like this are called Huli Jing. They’re revered as either good or bad omens, a-at least that’s what maman tells me...”

“...makes me wonder which is which here?” Aurore muttered as she shared a look with Pollen. Then her eyes narrowed as she caught a familiar glimpse of red hair, and actually now that she thought about it looking at the fox’s coat… “Wait a moment, that’s Lila! Or… at least a sentimonster created from her.” 

“That… that means she’s not Paon, right?” Marinette asked, sounding desperately hopeful. Aurore wanted to reach out and hug the poor girl, and she soon did. Her heart ached, and quite frankly Aurore wanted to believe it. She desperately wanted to believe it, as Lila had been a boon for Marinette. Aurore couldn’t be there all the time to defend Marinette, even if the shy girl was beginning to break out of her shell. Chloe was relentless, and it seemed Lila had brought a new wave of confidence to Marinette. 

“I… I…” Aurore stammered out.

“Be very careful,” Fu warned them both. “I sense this may be the most dangerous of Paon’s sentimonsters yet. Taking aside your feelings for Lila, and if she may or may not be Paon, this fight will not be an easy one I believe.”

  
“Y-Yeah, no kidding,” Marinette said.

“Marinette,” Master Fu said. “If you do not feel up to this fight, nobody would fault you otherwise.”

“Fu’s right, Mari,” Aurore said as she began collecting herself. “I think I can handle this Renard wannabe!” 

“N-No,” Marinette said her voice still shaky but slowly growing confident again. Little by little, the Lady of Paris began to return. Nooroo fluttered next to Marinette, Trixx resting himself on his temporary holder’s shoulder. Or maybe not so temporary, depending on how the dominos fell, Fu mused. “Paris needs me. It needs all of us, and I’m not going to just let her down now! Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise! Nooroo, Trixx, unify!”

“Pollen, Buzz On!”

\------------

As Master Fu said, fighting this particular Sentimonster may have been the most dangerous one yet. It wasn’t because of the fire breath -prompting the obligatory joke of how this creature needed a breath mint from Aurore- or the massive slashing claws ready to rip limb from limb. No, what nobody had predicted was how emotionally _ taxing _this entire battle was going to end up being. 

A howl and then a shriek from the creature, eyes glowing with a fury never before seen and all the while Marinette was reminded of who this creature was birthed from. Lila, Lila, Lila. That’s all she could think about. That was Lila she was fighting, this was Lila’s despair and anger given form. Her thoughts running so rampant, her panic at a height, Marinette was sent crashing into a building side. The creature slashed forwards, before a wall created by Nathaniel sprung up and quickly, he thought up another creation. POW! A boxing glove to the face sent the sentimonster staggering back. 

“My Lady!” Nathaniel called out. “Get your head in the game!”

“I… I know,” Marinette stammered. “I’m trying, I promise!”

The Huli Jing picked up two cars and tossed them, both on a bee-line course direct for Marinette. Both she and Aurore reacted, Aurore using her top to string one up while a swarm of butterflies picked up and gently moved the second car out of harms’ way. Marinette’s mind was still a blur of emotions, unsure what to think. Was Lila really Paon Bleu? Or was this all just some great big massive misunderstanding? What if, what if this was a big mistake? Oh dear god in heaven, what if it was? Then when all was said and done, Marinette would have to explain a few things and- Oh God, what if she had to say she was Papillon and explain to Lila she thought that she was Paon Bleu? Oh, they’d never speak to each other again, Lila hating her with every fabric of her being and then her life would be over!

Again, Marinette’s mind was so off track, Aurore had to pull her out of harm's way. A few seconds too late, and hello roasted butterfly. 

“Look Mari,” Aurore said. “I know you know who that Sentimonster is created from, and I know what you think of Lila right now. Hell, I’m pretty much thinking the same things. But if we don’t stop that creature here and now, all of Paris will be in danger!”

In her head, Marinette could feel Nooroo sending her empathic waves of sympathy. “Y-Yeah,” Marinette says in reply. “It’s just that…”

“You feel you’ve been dealt a soul-crushing blow, and you don’t know how to handle it?” Aurore finishes. “Trust me, my mind’s a bit of a whirlwind right now. Between this, between thinking what’ll happen if we let this creature rampage, I’m barely holding myself together as it is.”

Marinette laughed bitterly. “If you’re trying to help pick me up, you’re doing a lousy job…”

“Just saying we’re in the same boat together Mari, that’s all.”

That didn’t help matters much at all, Marinette being sent into a flashback.

_ “Ugh….” Marinette groaned, her pencil snapping in her hand. It soon joined the trash pile, amongst a few other pencils. Science homework, now that was always fun. Ms. Mendeleiev really sure knew how to drive her students to the brink of madness. And she didn’t even know why or how science was going to come in handy! Marinette had only two set goals in life, become a world-famous fashion designer and/or help her parents out at their bakery. Science didn’t even factor into the equation, not now or not ever! _

_ “Ugh…” Marinette groaned as her head hit her desk, wondering if she could just skip this entirely. _

_ “Marinette!” her mother called. “Lila’s here! Said she’s looking for you!” _

_ “I swear,” Lila said as she entered Marinette’s room, baguette in hand. “Your mother makes the best pastries, both her and your papà. Really, they should be world-famous! I have half a mind to go on Instagram and let all of my friends -you know, the real jet-setters- know about this place and have them come here next time they’re in Paris.” _

_ Right, Marinette vaguely remembered. Lila was friends with Tomoe Tsurugi amongst others. Oh, what Marinette wouldn’t do to have some world-famous celebrity visit her parent’s little patisserie. But such was her lot in life, really. It seemed that, for the most part, The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie would stay just one of those little hidden gems that were only talked about in hushed whispers. _

_ “Marinette, I was wondering why you weren’t joining me and Nathaniel in the park for...Ouch,” Lila muttered as she leaned over to see what her friend was working on. “Ah, I see. Ms. Mendeleiev’s chemistry homework?” _

_ “Yeah….” Marinette moaned. “I’m doooooooooommmmed.” _

_ “Bit overdramatic much, isn’t it Mari?” Lila asked, pulling up a chair. _

_ “No no, you don’t understand, like I don’t have any plans to even factor chemistry into my life. It’s either help run my parents bakery or make it big as a fashion designer. Like… that is it!” Marinette said. “No science, no math, none of that!” _

_ “Yes, well, you’ve got to get it done, so…” _

_ “Don’t remind me…” Marinette moaned again. “Lila, if you’re trying to be supportive you’re really rather lousy. So just stop.” _

_ “No no,” Lila said as she reached into her purse and pulled out a pencil. “I managed to get this done in only a few hours or so. Here, let me help. We’re in the same boat together, and homework is always much easier with a friend. Besides, what Ms. Mendeleiev doesn’t know won’t hurt her. You said it yourself, right? You don’t have any plans for chemistry, so…” _

_ “T-Thanks Lila,” Marinette stammered out. “Good god, I must be so embarrassing for you to be around as a friend. I’m such a hot mess…” _

_ “Nonsense,” Lila waved her off. “Now, see this is argon and it’s…” _

Marinette was sent hurtling back to the present time with a crash. Oh right, the sentimonster. That was a thing, wasn’t it? Aurore was right, she had to get her head in the game. All the same though, she couldn’t help but wonder if Lila was really Paon. What if she was playing them all like a fiddle, no like a slide kazoo and Marinette had been too stupid to notice? Was her friend really that much of a sociopath?

No, no, no. She couldn’t think about that right now, she had other things to worry about at the moment. Such as saving Paris. Lila as Paon could wait till after Lila’s sentimonster was defeated. Y-Yeah, Lila’s Sentimonster. There was no way she could be Paon Bleu if she herself was now the target of amoks. Adrien was right, just because Lila lived in that particular arrondissement didn’t mean she was Paon. Plenty of people lived in that particular arrondissement, really. Lila just being one of them. 

The massive fox creature rounded another street corner, sending cars flying as it did so in a blur of motion. Embers were left behind in its wake, the creature’s sharp jaws gleaming a brilliant white in the evening light. The creature’s fur was now a brilliant dark red shade, as thick and as crimson as blood. The monster’s eyes glowed a brilliant orange before Marinette’s butterflies just narrowly pulled her to safety. A wave of heat passed by her, and Marinette’s eyes widened as she saw one of the creature’s massive tails coming around and then… ** _CRASH! _ **Marinette found herself piledrived into the side of a building, the creature ripping open another apartment block with its massive claws. 

Steel, brick, and rebar flew everywhere, one piece just barely avoiding spearing itself directly into Marinette’s head. The creature’s jaws now dripped with drool, and the streets below bubbled and broiled. Acid, of course, the creature would drool acid. Because why the hell not! It wasn’t enough that the sentimonster had flame breath and massive claws, it had to drool acid! With a horrific howl, the creature pulled back it’s fist and Marinette was sent flying through several apartments. Finally, her tumbles were halted as she landed in a baseball glove, just her size. She looked up, and saw Nathaniel as the Mightillustrator giving her a reassuring smile. 

“Don’t worry,” Nathaniel said reassuringly. “I have your back, we all do.”

But would it be enough, Marinette thinks to herself as she saw Aurore charging in, Venom at the ready. One slap from one of the Huli Jing’s tails later and she was sent flying to the other end of Paris. Waves of pain, loneliness, anger and frustration rolled off Lila and her creation in waves. In hindsight, Marinette thinks, she shouldn’t be so surprised her friend’s sentimonster is this powerful, with the dangerous combination of emotions Lila has. By now, they’ve practically engulfed Marinette’s powers. Rage, anger, frustration, loneliness. Paon Bleu or not or whatever Lila was, by the end of this, Marinette resolves to give her friend a hug. She needed it. 

_ “So, I assume she’s not coming?” Lila sighed, again at an empty dinner table. Well, almost empty anyways. Here, she sends Duusu a grateful smile, which the kwami hesitantly returns. _

_ “No, I’m sorry Madame Rossi,” came the voice of the embassy’s receptionist. “Benigna is currently busy in Afghanistan and won’t be home for a few more days. For what it’s worth, she does send her regards and her regrets.” _

_ Lila snorted before sighing as she hung up, picking away at her food with her fork. “Of course she does…” the red-head muttered in disgust. _

_ “I take it this is usual for your mother?” Duusu asked. Lila didn’t answer. “Well, you’ve got me, at any rate.” _

_ “Oh yeah, sure, I’ve got a little quantic god I use for supervillainy for company,” Lila drawled. “What a thrill!” _

_ Lila snorted, what had her life come to if she couldn’t even spend time with her own mother? To make matters worse, her best friends were pawns in some grand scheme and apparently, some little peacock goddess formerly a god who had issues with being overly emotional beyond belief. Yeah, she was really living the dream. Briefly, she considered taking the kwami’s offer but decided against it. Her hand went for her phone, and again she dialed her mother’s number at the embassy. _

_ No answer. Again, she dialed it. Again, no answer. With a scream and a sob, she hurled it up against a wall, the phone shattering on impact. Lila began to cry, heavy wracking sobs that filled the room. Duusu did her best to comfort her, rubbing her hands on Lila’s shoulders, and nuzzling into her neck. All of that rage, and all of that anger was finally coming out at once. The worst part was, it wouldn’t even be the last time this would happen. Lila knew it. Her mother was always more concerned with her own work than her own damn daughter. She… she needed an outlet. Maybe this little god…er, goddess coming into her life was for the best. _

_ After all, if Lila wasn’t going to be loved, she might as well be feared. Lila grew a smirk, vile and fearsome. Yes, that sounded exactly how things should be. She’d make her mother take notice, maybe by terrorizing Paris. Or maybe if her mother didn’t take notice, the Miraculous Holders would. Honeybee, and the Lady Papillon. They understood her, didn't they? Even when it was just a meeting on the field of battle, a champion against sentimonster. Tenshi against amok. Even when it was just the simple matter of villain vs hero, they were there for her. It was a horrible twisted relationship, but at least she could rely on them to come whenever she called. That was how it would be, and that was how it should be. _

Back at Master Fu’s parlor, both Adrien and the Great Guardian watched battle via the television. Nadja was already on the scene, filming via a helicopter. They watched the massive fox claw its way into the 4th arrondissement, the 3rd in its sights.

“Come on Marinette, I know you can beat her…” Adrien whispered. “You’ve beaten every one of Paon’s sentimonsters before, so you can beat this one…”

He turned to Master Fu. “S-She can beat this one, right?” he asked with a nervous little stutter. “Like, she can right? She’s got Aurore and Nath at her side, so surely…”

“Yes, but never before in these battles has Marinette been so unsure of herself,” Master Fu replied walking over to the gramophone. He began pressing a series of buttons. “She is fighting one of her best friends, all the while uncertain if this very best friend is really her worst enemy. She is too… distracted to focus properly. She needs an assistant, just for this mission.”

“You mean…?” Adrien gasped as he watched multiple miraculous be unveiled. Drawers popped open, revealing miraculous after miraculous. 

“Exactly,” Master Fu said. “Just this once, I will allow you to join your friend on this mission. You’ve already proven yourself worthy of the Bee Miraculous, so pick another, just for this mission. When the mission is over, you will return the miraculous to me.”

“No offense Master, but is it wise?” Adrien asked. “Paon already knows of the miraculous out in circulation already, so should we really let them know of another?”

“I see your point,” Master Fu said. “But we are in a tough situation, so…”

Briefly, his eyes drifted towards his bracelet, the one that held the power of the Turtle.

“No Master Fu,” Adrien said his eyes drifting towards the flute that Marinette was using to hold the Huli Jing’s jaws open. “I think I know exactly the one I need.”

“Indeed,” Master Fu appraised. “The power of the Fox is indeed an impressive one. Are you sure that you can handle it?”

“Well, no, but right now I’m about the only hope Marinette has of defeating that monster, so…” Adrien muttered. In any other situation, Adrien probably would have been beside himself. Two superpowers in one day, that had to be a record somewhere right? No time now to celebrate though.

Running for the street, Adrien whistled for a taxi. _ “Don’t worry Marinette, I’m coming…” _

Back at the battle site, Marinette was using her flute like a bo staff, deflecting and parrying claw slashes. Then she got an idea and raised the flute to her lips. She was about to call out “Mirage!” when the fox finger flicked her to the other end of the street. Her butterflies only narrowly caught her in time.

And to make matters worse, she could see the ‘wings’ on her brooch starting to fold up. Time was almost out, and nobody had managed to make any headway in destroying the amok. The Huli Jing charged up another fire blast, and then the Mightillustrator reacted. Creating a massive fan, he blew several cars into the fire ball’s path. “Go, recharge!” he shouted. “I can handle it!”

“Thank you..” Marinette whispered. Where would she be without her friends?

_ “Ugh…” Marinette groaned as she walked into class one day, bags under her eyes. She’d been up all night designing and doing some last minute homework. God, she was such a flake! And then there were the Paon Bleu battles. “Cofffffffeeeeeee…” _

_ “Uh oh, zombie alert!” Kim teased setting off a few chuckles. The really nasty glare Marinette sent him promptly shut him up. The laughter was soon to follow. _

_ “Statistically,” Max said as he ran some calculations. “A sleepless night will not result in a productive day.” _

_ “Yeah, tell me something I don’t know okay Max?” Marinette grumbled as her face hit her desk. “Now, get out of my face or eat bobby pin. Unless you’ve got coffee I don’t even want to speak to you.” _

_ Then, a mug of the good stuff was shoved directly in front of her. Marinette very quickly and wordlessly kicked it back, slamming the cup down on her desk when she was done. Lila set next to her smiling. _

_ “You were in the zone again, weren’t you?” the Italian asked. Marinette gave her a look, one that clearly said ‘more coffee or you die a horrible death friend or not’. “Yeah, I figured about as much. I’m telling you Mari, you really need to manage your sleep schedule. I can’t keep covering for you like this!” _

_ At this, she put another cup of coffee in front of Marinette, the fashion designer to be quickly chugging that one down as well. Under her breath, Marinette was muttering some very morbid things on how she was going to kill Paon once she found her. Thankfully for Lila, the Italian didn’t seem to have heard. _

_ “I’d let DC have her coffee, Liles,” Kim piped up again. “Like, I’d have another mug on standby just in case.” _

_ “Y-Yes, exactly! You must replenish me with the only thing worth living foooooorrrr! Don’t you understand? It’s my lifeblood! Myyyyyyyyyyyy lifeblood! It’s one of the only things on this planet worth living for, living for you understand?” Marinette said, the filter on her gone and the girl starting to go practically lucid. “My will to breathe in this wretched horrid air will be gone and then you’ll all have to go on without me, as my tombstone will read: “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, gone from this earth too soon because she couldn’t drink her very soul!” _

_ “Mari, you’ve got to get a better hold of yourself,” Lila said. _

_ “Don’t remind me, I’m such an idiot,” Marinette replied. “Sorry to burst your bubble and all that, but it turns out one of your best friends is a flake!” _

_ Wordlessly, and with a roll of her eyes, Lila simply handed Marinette another mug of her precious liquid. “What would you do without your friends, eh Marinette?” _

\------------

The present, and back to the same old same old. Thankfully, Adrien had shown up just in time with some sugar cubes in hand for Nooroo and berries for Trixx. “...you know,” Marinette grumbled. “This is so not how I wanted us to really meet, like at all.”

“I can imagine,” Adrien agreed as he gently took Trixx’s necklace off Marinette. “I’m sorry, but I think you’ll need my help again Lady Papill… No, Marinette. A fox, to catch a fox.”

“It’s… it’s appreciated,” Marinette said, not even bothering to argue. Or even bothering to question where Adrien got the kwami fuel as she’d started to call it. “Now… help me save my friend.”

“Of course,” Adrien said as he watched with no small amount of awe as Marinette transformed. “Trixx, Let’s Pounce!”

A warm energy, similar but different than to the one before overtook him, and the next thing he knew, he was leaping across rooftops. A swarm of butterflies rushed past, glowing under the moonlit sky and stars. A loud roar cut through the early evening air, and both Adrien and Marinette shared a look.

“I saw Lila buried in that thing’s neck fur,” Marinette said as the two dodged a swing of the creature’s massive tails. Bricks and mortar flew, and the Huli Jing slashed at them only to meet empty air. As they came around for another pass, Marinette said: “Think you can give it a distraction?”

“Are lemmings suicidal?” Adrien joked. Marinette gave him a look, his terrible attempt at humor obviously not appreciated. “Of course I can. And just call me Will-of-the-Wisp.”

Marinette suppressed a groan. Of course, another terrible pun. Her partner was such a dweeb. No, she didn’t like him like that. So stop it, shut up! They barely knew each other outside of class! It was just luck plain and simple -and not even good luck at that- that they were meeting even here and now!

“Two heroes in one day, wow,” Marinette said as she watched Adrien blow on his flute, before flinging an orange wisp of smoke. At the other end of the street, what else but a massive berry bush was now present. “Talk about lucky you!”

Honeybee rushed past, zipping along on her line with a shout of: “Venom!” just as several walls created by Mightillustrator boxed the fox in. All went according to plan, and soon the creature was down. Gently, Marinette landed by it’s unconscious form, and pulled Lila out of its fur. Noticing her hairband, which was covered in some eerie glow, she pulled it out. Lila’s locks were allowed to fly free, the hairband was soon snapped in half with the amok inside gently drifting away before falling to pieces. Finally, it was all over. 

“Trixx, let’s rest…” Adrien said once in an alleyway, the exhilaration leaving him and the exhaustion finally starting to catch up. “Wow, so that was what being on a team of superheroes was like? Man…”

“Yeah, back in the olden days?” Trixx said. “It was five or even six superheroes against the world, fighting injustice and all that. But now… you know what you have to do right?”

“But me, Marinette, her champions and Aurore? We’d probably make a great team!” Adrien said.

“Yes, that’s true,” Trixx admitted thoughtfully. "You're absolutely right, Adrien. I'm sure the four of you will make quite a team! You have all the makings of a true superhero. You're strong, brave. But most of all, you're _ trustworthy_.”

Ah, the old guilt trip, of course. But Adrien knew the little god was right. Master Fu did trust him to return Trixx when the day was done. And so he would. Meanwhile, Marinette and Aurore embraced their friend in a sobbing hug. They’d explained they’d seen the whole thing on the news, easily figuring out who the sentimonster was based off of by the fur color. Many tears were exchanged, and explanations were given.

“Wait, you seriously thought I was Paon?” Lila asked gasping. She frowned in thought. “Oh yes… well, I suppose I did really make myself a bit of an obvious suspect. Always vanishing. I… I just thought I needed to be safe, that’s all. But… but yeah, I suppose I should have made that clearer. Besides, how can I be Paon when Paon just used me to create a sentimonster?”

“Y-Yeah, I suppose…” Marinette stammered out before bringing Lila in for another hug. Secretly, unseen, Lila smirked. All was well, and nobody was the wiser. Exactly as according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so yeah. Lila went full on Collector here, and now she's in the clear again. For now, at least. Now, I'm not sure where I first saw Lila/giant fox monster but I figured it fit her here. Really, can't think of anything more fitting for the little witch. Now, as someone said in the comments of the last chapter, Lila's not full-on cartoonishly evil here. It doesn't excuse any of her actions, not in the slightest, but I do want people to see where she's coming from.
> 
> Now, I'm unsure what to do with Trixx, so I will need your help here. Should I keep Trixx on as a backup power for Marinette and have her keep on unifying him with Nooroo, or should I have him stay in the Miracle Box for emergencies? Also, as an ongoing questionnaire, at least until chapter fifteen I want to do something more with Gabriel. Make him more than just emotionally distant dad. I implied he and Fu were very good friends in the prologue, so why not take this one step further? Why not... Guardian in Training Gabriel? Eh, what do you think about that?
> 
> So, anyways, because the next two chapters are a two-parter, chances are you won't see them until March. Just forewarning. Maybe one will pop up later this month, but with my schedule don't bet on it.


	11. 11: Golem

The next few days were actually fairly quiet in Paris, no sightings from Le Paon Bleu which struck Nooroo as… rather odd really. He had his suspicions of course, but didn’t dare voice them. He knew what Marinette would think, and so decided to hold his tongue. Paon Bleu would show herself in time, and when she did he and his mistress would be ready.

Well, he supposed he could think of it as a vacation, which Nooroo -to be honest- wasn’t _ entirely _opposed to given the constant attacks. Three sentimonsters in one night. Nooroo so needed an extra helping of sugarcubes after that. By the gods!

“Nooroo?” Marinette asked him, the kwami nestling himself in her hair as he watched Marinette work on something in her sketchbook. It was their ‘secret spot’ for designing, as Marinette had dubbed it. The Place du Trocadéro, with The Fontaines de Chaillot and the Eiffel Tower visible directly from their location across the way, nestled next to the Seine. On a bout of curiosity one day, Nooroo had borrowed Marinette’s phone to look up the history of the locale. It had been named in honor of the Battle of Trocadero where the fortified Isla del Trocadero had been captured by French forces after a grueling battle. These forces had been led by the Duc d'Angoulême, son of the future King of France, Charles X. Rather fascinating history actually, especially for Nooroo who hadn’t been out in the world in well over a century.

“Yes?” the little quantic god asked looking up from Marinette’s sketches.

“What’s the Butterfly supposed to be used for?” Marinette asked idly doodling a derby hat with a butterfly brooch across the front. Marinette frowned, it wasn’t her best work so she tossed it aside with the other crumpled up rejected sketches. A small pile was rapidly beginning to form at her feet. “You know, when there’s not a supervillain running amok?”

“The very same as you use it now, in some ways,” Nooroo replied and when Marinette looked confused Nooroo elaborated. “You’re supposed to guide people, help them with their problems. Let me give you an example okay? Your friend Ivan? The Bruel boy?”

“W-Well, I’m not exactly sure if he’s my friend b-but…” Marinette mumbled.

“I’ve noticed he has troubles confessing to the Haprèle girl, Mylène right?”

“Ivan has a crush on Mylène?” Marinette whispered in shock, almost dropping her sketchbook. Nooroo nodded gently. “...well, I guess that explains why I saw Ivan looking up a book on love poetry a few days ago. Oh, we’ve got to get the two of them together!”

“That’s the spirit!” Nooroo fluttered about happily, beaming all the while. “That is _ exactly _what the Butterfly is generally meant to be used for, helping and guiding others. The ability to communicate with your chosen is to help them walk through their problems. You’re basically like a super-therapist, if you like.”

“Um… okay, um wow,” Marinette mumbled. “When you put it that way, geez no pressure right?”

“You’ve been doing a great job so far,” Nooroo said nuzzling his Chosen. “I’m so proud.”

“Thank you, I’ve been thinking Nooroo. Being Papillon? It’s made me fall in love with Paris all over again. Every day I think about how lucky I am to live in Paris, and I'm even luckier to get to see all those places through Papillon and my Chosen’s eyes. I never want to give this up,” Marinette said. “Just a few days ago, even while helping save Lila I got to see Paris from a bird’s eye view. I wasn’t exactly in a good situation to appreciate it then, but looking back now? Just watching buildings fly by day or night? It’s… really something.”

“That it is,” Nooroo agreed. “While I’m not able to speak to you whilst inside the brooch, I’m able to see things from your point of view. Paris has changed since I was last out.”

Marinette’s whipped around so fast to face him she thought she’d probably be regretting that later. “You were in Paris once before?”

“Oh yes, I actually saw the assembly of the Eiffel Tower!” Nooroo exclaimed.

“No way…” Marinette gaped. “You’ve got to be joking!”

“Yes way…” Nooroo nodded. “It was quite a feat of human engineering let me tell you. You humans never stop amazing us Kwamis with your creativity and ingenuity. Tikki is always so proud to see you humans and what you come up with!”

Marinette suddenly felt very small, not for the first time she was reminded just how _ old _Nooroo and the other kwamis actually were. They’d outlive her, they’d outlive her parents and they’d outlive her friends. It was really a rather sobering fact now that she thought of it. To be there one day and gone the next, like dust in the wind. That must have been how the Kwamis saw things from their eyes anyways.

Nooroo picked up on her distress, and had a good guess what she was thinking about. He _ was _the Kwami of Empathy after all. Nooroo, nuzzling her again, spoke: “Don’t worry Marinette, we Kwamis remember all of our holders. We simply do not just ‘forget and move on’. Your names, all of your names are etched into our hearts. We have our favorites. Tikki’s personal favorite was Joan of Arc, though if you ask me if you two ever met she would change her mind. She’d consider you her favorite. I know I do…” 

Marinette tried very hard to hide her tears as she whispered “Oh Nooroo…”

If Nooroo saw them, he was polite to say nothing about them. “Now now, don’t you have a couple to get together, hmm?” the kwami nudged. “I believe they’ve waited long enough with their mutual pining.”

Marinette wiped her eyes and closed her sketchbook, this could wait until later. She was a superheroine on a mission now. Yeah, she totally had this. Now, the obvious question was… well, how exactly should she do it? 

\------------

Adrien Agreste didn’t know what to think. His two idols were really two of his closest friends, and he’d been secretly chasing after them this whole time. Yeah, sure there was the whole respecting the secret identity thing, but if he’d known he went to the same school as Honeybee -hell, sat in the same _ class _ as Papillon!- well… Oh God, this was too weird. He could have had an interview with the two of them that much sooner!

Yeah, yeah this was all just way too weird. He needed time to think about this

“Adrien?” 

A voice pulled him out of his musings. 

“Oh, sorry…” Adrien said turning to Lila. “Got lost in thought for a minute there.”

“It’s the whole fashion thing isn’t it?” Lila asked debating on if she should tell a little white lie to get closer to Paris’ Golden Boy. On the one hand, he didn’t seem like the type to easily see through bullshit. On the other, well if she wasn’t careful with what lie she told he could easily look up the information. Say, if she told him her grandmother was a world-famous fashion designer, well… Yeah, best not to say anything. For the moment at least. “You worried none of your classmates will be able to impress your father?”

See, almost a week ago Mr. Damocles had come into Ms. Bustier’s classroom with an announcement. The students had a week to create their own design, which -guess who?- would model. For once Adrien was actually looking forward to this, given it would be a creation by one of his _ friends. _Privately, he was rooting for Marinette who despite her mini freak out at the news seemed more than up to the task…

_ “Derby hat, derby hat, derby hat, derby hat...! I don’t have any derby hat designs. I’ve got top hats, caps, even two-horned hats! Need a beret? I’m your girl. A sombrero? No problem-o. But a derby?!” Marinette had ranted, nearly hyperventilating. Wordlessly, Aurore passed her a brown paper bag well-prepared for such an eventuality. “You know what? It won’t even matter, 'cause I’ll probably make a total fool of myself at the event, or even worse? Adrien will! He’ll likely trip over my stupid derby and collapse on Mr. Agreste; give him a full-blown concussion and Adrien will hate me for making him look bad! I'll never be a world-renowned fashion designer. MY LIFE IS OVER!” she sobbed. _

_ “Okay, A, Adrien could never hate you girl. You’re his friend. He’s too nice besides, he’s like a warm sun on a cloudy day,” Aurore said reassuringly, a cool calming rain. “B, I’m pretty sure you’re overreacting. This derby thing? You’ve got it in the bag. Literally!” _

_ Here, she gestured to Marinette’s purse. _

_ “Let me see your sketchpad, Mari.” Aurore said as Marinette nervously handed her the sketchpad. “There must be something in here!” _

_ “She’s right, you’ve got mad skillz. With a z!” Alix said as she peeked over. “Seriously, you… Oh, I really shouldn’t be looking at these should I? I mean… I’m entering this contest too you know!” _

_ “Yes, you’re quite right, you shouldn’t be,” Marinette said, pulling the sketchpad away from Alix who laughed nervously. “Weren’t you paired off with Lila?” _

_ “And so I was! We’re so going to cream you Mari,” Alix said with a laugh. “All’s fair in fashion and war!” _

_ “...well, at least it’s not love.” Aurore deadpanned as Marinette wheeled herself off, already going to her secret garden of inspiration. _

“Well, yeah, I mean my father has very discerning tastes,” Adrien said back in the present. “You know?”

“You mean he’s a hard ass,” Lila drawled.

“Well, I’m not sure if I’d put it quite like that but…” Adrien trailed off Lila looking at him skeptically. “Pretty much, yeah basically.”

“So, who are you rooting for?” Lila asked innocently, wrapping her arms around Adrien, unknowingly having Chloe bear witness to this. Across the street, the blond gritted her teeth. “Go on, you can tell _ me.” _

Chloe growled, Sabrina rubbing her hands on her friend’s shoulders in calming fashion. 

“That lying Italian hussy needs to get her hands off my Adrien!” Chloe hissed. “She’s so totally not innocent, she’s just trying to get Adrien to root for her on the down-low! Not that she or skater girl have a chance! Her? Win the contest? As if. When Adrien sees _ my _ design he'll convince his father to award _ me _ the winner. Hmph!”

“I'm sure he will, Chloé. You’re a born champion. Your design will blow everyone else's out of the water!” Sabrina cheered. 

“Oh, not _ my _ design,” Chloe sneered. “I just need to get my hands on Marinette’s sketchbook!”

“Well, all’s fair in fashion and war I guess,” Sabrina decided. “Isn’t that right?”

“Don’t go quoting the skater girl on me,” Chloe said. “Just go get me pictures of that sketchbook!” 

“Yes, Chloe!” Sabrina said before running off. 

Adrien noticed with Lila following his gaze. “Something wrong?”

“Those two are up to something,” Adrien muttered rather displeased with the direction his childhood friend was taking as of late. The worst part was, he still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell her off for all of this.

“You think they’re going to cheat to win?” Lila asked.

“As much as I’d love to say you’re wrong,” Adrien replied. “I’m really not sure what Chloe is willing to do these days. The worst part is, because she’s my childhood friend I don’t want to tell her off. But I have to, given I don’t think she’ll listen to anyone else!”

“Let her humiliate herself,” Lila scoffed and Adrien looked at her in shock. “What?”

“Lila…” he said disapprovingly.

“Still, I’m just saying. Chloe’s hardly any threat, and really her exposing herself in front of everyone is just as good as you telling her off. And you don’t have to say a thing…”

“That kind of thinking is what gets people targeted by Le Paon’s amoks,” Adrien said.

“And you telling her off in front of the whole school won’t get her targeted?” Lila asked and at this Adrien went silent.

\------------

“You still haven’t told me who your partner is, Mari,” Aurore said over the phone, Marinette locking away her drawings for the day. “I’m just worried about you girl. Not that I think anyone doesn’t want to partner up with you -cause I’m totally not worried about that!- it’s just…”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Marinette said looking at Nooroo with a small smile. “I have this... silent partner.”

“Oooh, keeping secrets?” Aurore inquired with a laugh. “Well, don’t worry, I won’t pry. I just can’t wait to see what you come up with!”

Marinette frowned, that was _ if _ she came up with anything. Right now her brain was totally blank, she’d gone through at least twenty to thirty designs and she _ still _needed to figure out what she wanted to do. Oh, she needed to just get her mind off the subject. She’d figure it out eventually. Right now she needed to solve another little problem, and maybe afterwards inspiration would strike her.

“You looked like you were ‘in the zone’ earlier today,” her Maman said as Marinette got downstairs. “Something went wrong?”

“It’s just… I don’t know…” Marinette said.

“Creator’s block?” Sabine asked nodding in sympathy. “Yeah, Tom’s been there a few times whenever he’s designing a new item for the store. Usually when he puts his mind off of it, inspiration strikes him.”

“Yeah, that’s my plan,” Marinette said. “Focus on another problem such as… Oh, this is embarrassing.”

“Well, it can’t be _ that _bad!” Sabine said, pulling up a chair next to her daughter. “Boy troubles? You have a crush or something? Is it that Nathaniel kid? He seems pretty nice…”

“Ack! No, mom!” Marinette squawked flushing red, which _ probably _didn’t help her case all that much. “It’s not me who’s having crush-related problems! It’s a friend of mine, well not friend-friend but a kinda sorta friend. Acquaintance really. Classmate, actually. You know Ivan?”

“He seems sweet enough,” Sabine said before her eyes widened in realization. “Oh, are you playing matchmaker?”

“More or less, it’s just…” Marinette sighed. “I’m not even sure how to go about it. Should I interfere, or should I let things take their natural course all on their own? There’s this girl he’s crushing on, Mylène Haprèle. I’ve seen the way he looks at her. Trouble is, Ivan’s…”

“Shy?” Sabine nodded in understanding.

“I’m not even sure if it’s any of my business,” Marinette said.

“I think it’s sweet, personally,” Sabine told her daughter. “Ivan should be grateful to have such wonderful classmates, really. You’re a wonderful friend bǎobè.”

Marinette blushed under the praise. “You think so?”

“I _ know _so. Now as for Ivan? I’d say give him a gentle nudge,” Sabine offered. “Not too hard, just that little gentle nudge. A few words of encouragement here and there. Just to get him started really. I’m sure from then on out Ivan will know what to do.”

“Thanks Mom, you’re the best!” Marinette before she hugged her.

“Well, I do try…” Sabine smiled. Marinette was within the hour at Ivan’s house after summoning a taxi. Ivan was surprised to see her, but welcomed her inside anyways. It was Marinette’s hope that she could give Ivan that little gentle nudge without having to use Nooroo’s powers, she didn’t want to become overly reliant on them for every little thing. It was time for some Marinette style encouragement!

Marinette took a few deep breaths, there was really only one way to do this. No sense in beating around the bush.

“You know, you should tell Mylène how you feel,” Marinette said and Ivan looked at her.

“M-Me and Mylène?” Ivan stammered out. “I… don't know what you're talking about.”

“Come on, I saw the way you look at her. No negative emotions, Ivan, don’t be afraid,” Marinette said encouragingly. “What I mean is, be positive. I'm sure Mylène has feelings for you too. Go talk to her. I’m sure she’ll reciprocate. You just got to have confidence.”

“I'm no good with words anyway,” Ivan mumbled, shuffling his feet and looking down at the ground. Marinette looked around the room, seeing posters for various heavy metal bands and rock artists. She, as a Jagged Stone fan was pleased to see her rock idol amongst them. The faintest hints of an idea began to form in her mind, maybe not just how to help Ivan but for her derby hat. No no, one problem at a time. Help Ivan now, worry about that contest later!

“But… who needs words? You could draw her a picture, send her flowers…” Marinette suggested. This might be easier than she thought. “Wait, you like music right? Oh, who am I kidding. You love music! Look at all of these posters! Maybe you could write her a song? Give her something uniquely you!”

“I could… write her a song?” Ivan said in thought. “Yeah, that’s a great idea. What girl wouldn't want a love song written especially for her? Thanks Marinette!”

“It’s what I’m here for!” Marinette said sensing the wave of positive emotions coming off Ivan, no fear or no worries anymore. Those had swiftly been forgotten. Yeah, she got this. As much as she would have loved an excuse to turn into Papillon to help someone, she knew that she could handle this as herself. 

Marinette was soon quickly shooed out of the house, and couldn’t stop smiling throughout. Nooroo was pleased as well. “I’m proud of you Marinette,” the kwami praised. “A true Butterfly doesn’t need to use their powers in everyday life, they solve problems and guide others on their own. You learn fast!”

“Well, what can I say,” Marinette blushed before she hugged Nooroo close. “I had a great teacher.”

It was all Nooroo could do not to blush. “So, what will you do now? Should you check on Ivan as you know who?” he asked in his usual quiet way.

“How would he suddenly know that both Papillon and Marinette know he has a crush on Mylène? No, it’ll give away my identity,” Marinette decided. “For now I watch and wait…”

Marinette found she didn’t have to wait long, as school that next day showed her the fruits of her labors.

“Um?” Ivan stammered as he walked up to Mylène nervously, the small mousy little girl looking up at him with a faint note of surprise. Marinette let out a little girlish giggle, Aurore looking at her in curiosity. Aurore noticed and peered over at her friend.

“Mari, what did you do…?” Aurore asked a grin threatening to break free across her face. “...did you…?”  
  
“Shh, just watch and see!” Marinette said quickly, shushing her friend before they both got out of sight, peering out from behind a corner. Inwardly, she chanted: _ “Please please work, please please!” _

“I-Ivan?” Mylène stammered, not really sure what was going on. Though she was soon to find out. 

_ “Come on, come on please do it!” _ Aurore chanted. Ivan’s crush on Mylène was pretty much an open secret amongst the class. Not even Chloe dared to tease Ivan about it, though it was certain she’d start if the relationship ever got started. No, not if Aurore reprimanded herself. _ When. _ When it got started. When was a very good word. _ When _ it got started. 

“I… I, uh, made you a song…” Ivan said holding up his phone and pressing play. Heavy thunderous drums started up, with a death metal roar. Marinette winced and Aurore sighed, just barely able to make out the words: _ “Mylène, be serene, don't be so mean!” _

The result was predictable, with Mylène looking rather nervous and eventually running off scared. Aurore winced.

“Ooof, tough break,” she said her heart going out to Ivan. “So close! So close!”

And then it just got worse, if that were possible. To add to the humiliation, Kim chose that moment to make an appearance. 

“So what was that about, you big lug?” Kim said with a chortle. “You scare Mylène off with your muscles? You big wuss, you got scared, didn’t you? 

“Hey, leave him alone!” Aurore called one hand gripped tightly around her parasol. She looked as if she was about to whack Kim over the head with it. But it was too late, the damage was already done. 

“What, I’m just saying! If Ivan wants to confess, he should do it himself, not via song!”

“Your delivery needs work,” Aurore drawled. “Talk about being Mr. Sensitivity! You have no sense of tact…”

The argument began to fade out. There were more important things to worry about aside from who Aurore might clobber. Marinette could feel the waves of emotion rolling off Ivan like a thundercloud over the great plains. Okay, wow Aurore was rubbing off on her. Anger. Frustration. Disgust. Longing. These were not good emotions and they suddenly hit Marinette like a punch to the gut. It was all she could do not to keel over from the sheer negativity. Um, okay wow she had to think fast. In this state, Ivan was _ prime _ Amok fuel. She had to do something fast before he became a target and created a sentimonster. She couldn’t just ignore this. She had to change, and _ fast. _

Quickly wheeling herself into a nearby closet, Marinette felt Nooroo’s power wrap around her like a soft warm blanket. 

Marinette knew Ivan. He was a gentle soul, if not one with anger issues. He often lent a hand or two to the teachers, carrying the heavier objects without question. She had to help him. He’d never live over the shame of being used as fuel for a sentimonster. Already she could see the amok drifting its way towards him.

“Oh, no you don’t you nasty little feather…” Marinette said as she sent out a Tenshi. Not the ideal emotions she’d like to be working with, but hopefully, she could guide Ivan into getting them back under control. She watched through Ivan’s eyes, and gently probed his thoughts. Soft gasps echoed as he was covered in a glowing cocoon. 

_ He couldn’t even tell Mylène his feelings without messing up. He could hear it, Kim’s teasing. That annoying smirk of his, that musclehead who thought he knew everything. He was _ ** _not_ ** _ a wuss. Marinette believed in him! Kim was always like that though, teasing him and making fun. Ivan hated this. Why couldn’t he just tell Mylène how he felt about her properly! Even with music at his side, he screwed that up! _

Marinette was having none of that. Ivan was right, she did believe in him and for a reason! 

_ “Ivan, you really love her don’t you?” _ Marinette said to Ivan, hoping he’d focus on her voice rather than where she was. She’d rather not deal with all of the awkward questions. _ “No no, you’re not a wuss. Confessing like that, it takes real courage…” _

_ “And yet I still screwed it up…” _Ivan said back to her.

_ “So? You were still very brave. Your approach needed work but what you did? It took great courage.” _

_ “So, you’re here to mock me too?” _ Ivan asked. _ “You think I can’t confess as a normal guy so you make me into a superhero? I don’t want to win Mylène over. Not like this!” _

_ “I had to help you, that amok was going right for you!” _Marinette replied and Ivan suddenly noticed it, swatting the feather out of the air. Marinette let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, so her champions couldn’t get affected by the amoks. Nice to know. 

_ “So… so I see. Thank you, Lady Papillon,” _ Ivan admitted. _ “I guess this means Paon will be along?” _

_ “Probably, yeah. Now, my Golem, defend your school.” _Marinette instructed as the cocoon grew and then it shattered. Ivan’s new form was revealed, a massive creature of rock and stone. A creature of earth, with little trees even growing out of his shoulders.

_ “Um, okay, wow this is kinda cool actually…” _Ivan said, a purple mask appearing around his face. Marinette giggled, yeah it was.

Marinette felt the emotions running through Ivan now. Hope, courage. Protectiveness, no sense of powerlessness. She had chosen well, it seemed. 

“Go, Ivan!” Alix called as she saw the massive superhero step onto the courtyard before screams erupted as Paon leaped off the rooftop with her feather fan in hand. They lunged at Golem, fan slicing through their air but Ivan drew back one hand and sent Paon flying with one almighty ** _SLAP_ **. The rapidly gathering crowd gasped and then cheered. Paon tumbled and rolled along the ground kicking up dust and dirt.

“So, you’re who the Lady Papillon chose as her newest champion?” Paon asked. “I have to say, I was sorta expecting Rogercop or the Mightillustrator. She’s getting so predictable. Points to her I suppose for surprising me.”

Marinette sucked in a breath, right she was kinda maybe sorta getting a little _ too _predictable on the Champions side of things. Paon knew how to counteract their every move by now, she’d seen them in action enough times. Right, she would have to start changing things up. ...wait, why was she talking like that? Ivan… no, Golem could beat Paon! Paon didn’t know a single thing about his powers! Hopefully, Honeybee would be along shortly. As much faith as she had in her champion, it was always nice to have backup.

“Everyone, get out of here!” Ivan called as his opponent darted towards him. “It’s too dangerous, go find cover!”

He drew back a fist and punched the ground where Paon was, Marinette advising him on where their Miraculous should be. Or rather, Ivan punched the ground where Paon _ should _have been if not for them dodging out of the way, doing a series of rapid backflips. 

“They’re… They’re quick…” Ivan murmured watching the supervillain 

“Oh, you like that?” Paon said, doing a little bow. They smiled and pretty much basked in the glory they thought they were getting. “I took cheer squad once, turns out? Pretty good idea if you want to be a supervillain. You can really move!”

Here, she dodged blows left and right from Golem, kicking him in the stomach and then running up the side of one of his massive arms. Afterwards, she kicked him in the head. Golem staggered back, but quickly plucked Paon from his shoulders with two massive fingers. He then flicked them through a wall and into the library on the third floor.

Groaning and stumbling about, Paon groaned in pain as they dusted off their costume, picking themselves up out of the books. They heard the cheering and let out a hiss of anger, leaving the peacock themed supervillain quite furious. They were supposed to be cheering them on, not some golem! They were the pride of Paris and actually come to think of it, where the hell was Papillon?

“So what, is the Lady of Paris too much of a coward to come and face me?” Paon asked striding out from the wrecked room. They hid their face behind their fan. “Is that it?” 

“No, more like you’re getting pretty boring,” came Honeybee’s voice. “You have no room to talk about being predictable. We’ve got your pattern figured out by now. Create sentimonster, and if that fails you come after us yourself. We kick your ass.”

“And I kick yours!” Paon said letting out a war cry and charging after Honeybee, who ran along a wall with Paon following. Honeybee leaped off the wall and whirled around in mid-air to roundhouse kick Paon in the face. Paon bounded off the very same wall and leaped behind Honeybee pulling her by the pigtails.

“Hey, no fair!” Honeybee cried as she tripped and stumbled into the ground face first. “That’s just playing dirty!”

“Yes, well, all’s fair in love and w-WOAH!” Paon said before they suddenly cried out and were punched into a wall by Golem. Spiderweb style cracks erupted from where Paon landed. 

“My knight in shining stone,” Honeybee beamed as she picked herself up off the ground, dusting off her costume. There was a roar of rage, and Honeybee whirled around to see Paon charging towards her, fist drawn back.

Honeybee yelped, and ducked below the punch before grabbing Paon by the wrist and flipping them over her head. 

While all this was going on, Mylène and Kim were cowering behind a pillar as they watched the battle. “Um, okay, wow. Actual real-life superheroes and supervillains right here at our school,” Kim said, the Vietnamese boy suddenly finding himself reappraising his opinion of Ivan. “Guess Ivan’s not such a wuss after all…”

“He’s a gentle soul,” Mylène said. “He just needs to learn how to talk to others, that’s all.”

“Yeah, I guess you can say that given he practically screamed those lyrics in your face,” Kim deadpanned. “I mean, what was up with that? If he was trying to scare you off…”

“I’m… I’m not sure what he was trying to do, actually,” Mylène murmured. “It… it almost sounded like…”

“A love confession?” Kim suggested and Mylène looked at him eyes wide. Kim facepalmed, yeah there went that open secret. He mumbled: “...Um, yeah maybe I shouldn’t have said that…”

“I-Ivan?” Mylène stammered out. “H-He likes me?”

She had to know the truth, and at this Mylène found herself wandering out to the battlefield. Ivan took notice. 

“M-Mylène?” Ivan stammered out as both Honeybee and Paon battled nearby. 

“Annnnnnd this is for turning Lila into a fox monster!” Honeybee called and ** _WHAM! _ **Paon staggered back, delivered a hard punch to the face. 

“What are you doing here?” Ivan said. “Get out of here Mylène!”

“I… I just wanted to know,” Mylène said, the small girl walking up to Golem. “Those lyrics, were they _ really _ for me? Were they actually a love confession?”

“Y-Yeah,” Ivan said. “I’ve always liked you Mylène, it’s just I never figured out a way to tell you. Marinette, she suggested writing you a song and I did but I guess I screwed that up huh?”

“It was sweet. I… I like you too Ivan, now go beat Paon for me!” Mylène said and if you looked closely you could see Golem blushing a beet red. 

Everyone noticed Paon hadn’t bothered to take advantage of the brief pause in the battle, what with the love confession and all. Golem and Honeybee both looked at them, and when questioned Paon simply said this. “What? Hey, don’t look at me! I'm a villain, not a _ monster _. I’m as much of a sucker for love as anybody else.”

And then the battle resumed. Ivan, now emboldened with the power of his lady love charged towards Paon, kicking them out the front doors of the school. Paon slid along the street before grinding to a halt. Then came Honeybee, zipping along on their top before side kicking Paon in the face. The battle now transferred to the park across the street, the Place des Vosges. Parkgoers scattered as the superheroes battled the supervillain. Some pictures were taken, but most ran for it.

Golem ripped up a tree and used it like a golfclub, calling out: “FORE!” as Paon was sent flying. 

The peacock themed villain rebounded off the side of a building and aimed themself so they’d kick Golem squarely in the face. Stone cracked as Golem staggered back, with Paon suddenly being pulled back to Honeybee. Honeybee had thrown her top, allowing the wires to wrap around Paon, before she tugged with the villain now heading directly for her. Honeybee grabbed her and slammed her into the ground before Paon recovered and knocked Honeybee to the grass with a leg sweep. Flipping back onto her feet, Paon jumped back to avoid a punch from Ivan.

“You’re getting there, you two really are. But you’re still not working in tandem just enough to stop me!” Paon commented flipping upwards to kick Ivan in the face before roundhouse kicking him in the stomach. Ivan staggered back before a hand reached out and grabbed Paon by her suit pulling her back to Honeybee.

Honeybee was kicked in the stomach by a frailing Paon, who twirled out of arm's reach. “Seriously, this is getting boring, where’s your sting?” Paon asked in a mocking tone. “At least the Agreste kid could hit where it counted. Ooof, I still think I feel his Venom! Phantom pains, and all that.”

_ “So they feel the hits of whatever sentimonsters she sends out?” _ Aurore thought to herself. _ “Well, I suppose that’s not surprising given Paon has a sort of empathy-based superpower. But that means… Oh no!” _

Paon looked behind her and noticed how one hand of Golem’s was always clenched. Hmm, interesting. That had to be the Tenshi he was protecting. Nice to know. The question was, how could she get at it?

_ “What I wouldn’t give to have Duusu in my head, shooting off advice for every little situation,” _ Lila thought to herself. _ “Then again, not like the little freak would ever help me with this type of thing!” _

But of course, the one Kwami she had to land herself with was just so ludicrously unhelpful except for giving the utmost basics of supervillainy. Duusu had to be laughing at her right now, Lila just knew it.

All the same though, Duusu wanted to help with… other matters. Even if Lila didn’t have to like it. Was this what having an older sister was like? Lila couldn’t tell.

In any event, with a series of cartwheels backwards towards Golem, dodging his swipe, Paon leaped up to him before roundhouse kicking Golem in the face. “Big guy, you’re strong but that also means you’re such a big target!” Paon mocked. 

“He’s not the only one!” came a voice. “VENOM!”

Just as predicted, Lila smirked to herself. She grabbed Honeybee by the wrist and shoved her into Golem. The massive superhero froze up, paralyzed by Honeybee’s sting.

“Honeybee?” Paon mocked. “More like a wasp!”

She cartwheeled forwards before leaping and heel dropping on top of Golem’s closed fist, the hand jittering open from the sheer shock. A crumpled up piece of paper, glowing a bright pink fell out. Paon knew what it was instantly, and ripped it open. 

“NO!” Honeybee cried out as a butterfly weakly fluttered out before being sliced apart by Paon’s fan.

\------------

Inside the closet she’d been holed up in, Marinette felt the sheer shock of her Tenshi’s destruction reverberate through the bond. She seized up in her chair, gasping in pain. She grasped her chest, tears forming in her eyes. A scream of agony erupted from her throat. Disoriented from the pain, she fell onto the floor.

_ “No… No,” _ Marinette thought to herself even as her transformation left her, Nooroo fluttering about weakly. He nudged and prodded at her, nuzzling her, but Marinette was unaware of it still curled up in a ball of pain. _ “My… my champion! My angel…” _

\------------

Paon smirked to themself, it was done. They watched the little pieces of the Tenshi fall to the grass below. So that was what destroying one of those felt like. It felt… oddly unsatisfying. No real challenge to it at all. At the back of their mind, something prodded at Lila. She had felt every one of her amoks destroyed, and each time she’d been wracked with pain. Was that what Papillion was feeling? Did… did she do that to her arch-rival? 

“You’re going to pay for that!” Honeybee called ignoring the beeping of her comb, warning her time was about to be up. 

“You may want to save this for later, unless you want to be on the front cover of _Le Monde_,” Paon noted and suddenly Honeybee realized. “We’ll continue this later!”

Leaping off, Lila frowned to herself. She had a question. If this was a victory, then why did it not feel all that… victorious?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, bet you weren't expecting THAT were you? I decided to be perfectly evil here, do some cute slice of life before pulling the rug out from under you. I debated doing a reoccurring character and their Tenshi to destroy, but I decided against it in the end. Also, yes Lila getting her moves via cheerleading is a totes homage to Kim Possible. Turns out cheer squad isn't just a US thing, who'd have thunk right?
> 
> Also, I'm well aware of the Coronavirus panic. Just stay safe y'all okay? Wash your hands and stock up on everything.


	12. 12: Rest and Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note, I don't pretend to understand anything about the French schooling system. So I'm only going with my best guess on all of this.

“Marinette…” came a voice, soft and faint. It soon turned more forceful. “Marinette!”

“Ugh… um, okay, wha….? Marinette mumbled her whole body wracked with pain, and felt herself gently lifted up into her wheelchair. Very quickly, before anyone could notice she pocketed Nooroo’s brooch. 

“Oh come on Dupain-Cheng,” the voice said, Marinette knowing it anywhere. “Up you go!”

“W-Wha... Chloe?” Marinette asked. “Why are you…?”

“I’m not a monster, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe said. “Now tell me what happened. All of it!”

Marinette was never the best at lying, although her abilities had been growing as of late thanks to the Sentimonster attacks and the whole super-secret superhero identity thing. So, hopefully, Chloe would buy this one. “I was wheeling myself out of the whole fight, out of Le Paon’s firing range you know? Paon rushed by me and then bam, got knocked to the floor.”

“Yes, well, I think you’re okay now,” Chloe decided. “I cannot have my rival be knocked down by some silly supervillain who thinks they’re all that! Now get to class, Ms. Mendeleiev will be pissed with us both if we’re late. I for one, value my grade point average! I _ cannot _be seen in detention.”

Marinette bit back a comment of how Chloe did a fine job of landing herself there already.

“You value hard work?” Marinette scoffed. “What is this, opposite land?”

“Okay, so yeah I take a few shortcuts here and there, but only with things I don’t care for,” Chloe said as she wheeled Marinette to Ms. Mendeleiev’s classroom. “The mayor’s daughter cannot be seen with a low grade on _ anything_. Daddy said I have a reputation to uphold.”

Marinette once again bit back a snarky comment on how Chloe barely had a reputation. Or at least, barely had a good one. Truth be told, Marinette wasn’t sure she even had the strength to be in class, given how she was still feeling the aftereffects of her Tenshi getting destroyed. 

The whole classroom eyed Marinette worriedly, even Ms. Mendeleiev to some degree. Adrien followed her with fearful eyes, the rest of the class didn’t know what had truly happened but he did. He’d gotten the footage of Golem being defeated, but decided not to post it. Ivan didn’t deserve to be shamed like that on Youtube, and Adrien _ knew _how nasty the Internet could be. 

He still remembered the comments on the Pigeon Monster video, about how the man who birthed it should be ashamed of himself. How he should go jump off the highest building in Paris. It was truly disgusting. 

Of course, knowing Paris the incident was already all over the internet. He wasn’t the only one with a phone out, the whole of the Place des Vosges was watching. They now knew Lady Papillon’s champions weren’t invincible. He didn’t know what was going to come next of this, really only time would tell. Frankly, Adrien wasn’t sure if he wanted to know really.

“Marinette!” Ms. Mendeleiev said, slapping a hand down on her desk. “Is something the matter?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m just…” Marinette mumbled. “I’m not feeling too hot…”

Ms. Mendeleiev looked thoughtful and placed a hand onto her forehead. “On the contrary,” the science teacher said. “You’re feeling _ too _hot. That’s the problem. You should be getting home.”

“But, my schoolwork…” Marinette mumbled.

“No buts!” Ms. Mendeleiev barked writing up something on a piece of paper. “Here, take this to the Principal's office, then get yourself home. I don’t know how I missed this, no how anyone missed this but I can’t have a sick student in my class.”

Marinette wanted to protest, but then realized protesting would mean she would have to explain a certain something. A certain something about how she was secretly Papillon and… oh yeah, that couldn’t possibly go well at all. Good grief, she was such a hot mess keeping this many secrets and not knowing how to balance them at _ all_. A look at Adrien, and the boy tossed her a reassuring smile. Yeah, at least someone around here believed in her. There was at least someone around here aside from Aurore that… Oh god, Aurore! Who knew what she was thinking, god she had to be freaking out! 

To make matters worse, Marinette knew she wasn’t saying anything to her best friend, no reassurances or anything! She was such a spaz! Marinette chuckled bitterly before thinking: _ “Sorry to break it to you Aurore, but your partner is such a useless flake who can’t keep her Champion from getting beaten.” _

So yeah, Marinette had been taken up to Mr. Damocles’ office where everything had been explained, with Ivan and Alix offering to walk Marinette home. 

“But I…” Marinette started to babble. One look from Alix rebutted no arguments. Marinette went for her phone.

_ “Aurore, you alright?” _Marinette rapidly texted, and after a few dangerous seconds of silence that felt like eternity… An answer.

_ “I’m fine, what about you?” _ Aurore texted back with a little cartoon smiley. Humorously, it was attached to a bee. _ “Please tell me you’re alright, because if you’re not I’ve got hot cocoa moo and cheesy romance movies on standby!” _

Marinette chuckled, only Aurore would call chocolate milk something like cocoa moo. 

_ “Truth be told, I think I’m going to need more than just milk and cheesy romance movies. It’s like… ugh, I don’t know how to explain it.” _Marinette texted back, her fingers a blur.

_ “Okay then, several volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist and Cardcaptor Sakura it is then. How are you holding up? Oh, stupid question. I… I saw what happened, Mari,” _ Aurore texted back hesitantly. _ “Look, I won’t even pretend to understand how you’re feeling. Me and Pollen, it’s not like you and Nooroo. Your bond with your Champions, it’s different. Irony really, I suspect the only one who could even begin to understand what’s the matter with you is the one who got you like this.” _

That was a form of irony Marinette wasn’t even in the mood to appreciate. Paon. She and them would have words!

“You alright Ivan?” Alix asked her friend. “You don’t look too hot yourself.”

“I’m more worried about Lady Papillon to be honest,” Ivan said. Alix smiled to herself, trust Ivan to be thinking more about others at this moment than about himself. “I felt a bit of her pain through the bond. It… It was agony. I failed her, I was supposed to be protecting Paris. I was supposed to be protecting _ her.” _

“Don’t beat yourself up Ivan,” Alix said. “It’s not your fault you got beaten, one of us was bound to slip up eventually. Think of it this way okay? Me, Roger and Nath? We all caught Le Paon off-guard when we first fought them. But Paon’s no longer a rookie, scary as that thought is. They know how we, along with Honeybee, fight. They know how to fight us. They know how to fight Champions.”

“But it’s just…” Ivan stammered before Marinette stopped him.

“Alix is right. I’m not Lady Papillon, but if she was here, I’m sure she’d say… Oh, I’m sure she’d say something like: “It wasn’t your fault your item got destroyed, and it wasn’t your fault the Tenshi soon followed.” Something like that.”

“She’s right,” Alix joined in. “Did you will your item to get broken?”

“No…” Ivan said slowly.

“Were you the one to slice it in half?” Marinette joined in.

“No…” Ivan went on.

“Then that settles that,” Alix nodded in confirmation with Marinette. “It wasn’t your fault. So stop blaming yourself, it’s just utterly sickening.”

“Alix!” Marinette’s head shot up to glare at her friend. “That’s going too far!”

“Would _ Mylène _want you to be seen like this?” Alix pressed. 

“N-No, I guess not…” Ivan admitted as they wound up in front of the _ Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie_. Sabine quickly rushed Marinette inside, giving her friends a grateful look. Aurore was already there, and Marinette shot her a shocked look.

“But what about classes…?” Marinette asked.

“You’re more important,” Aurore said, her voice as warm as the sun and her eyes sparkling like raindrops. “Classes can wait.”

Marinette had to dab at her eyes, and if Aurore noticed she never said a word. Once her parents were out of sight, Nooroo appeared looking a bit weak but still fluttering in the air. Pollen tackled him in a hug, Nooroo protesting mildly. Eventually, she released her friend.

“What was that with Alix and Ivan…?” Marinette pondered. “It was a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

Pollen looked confused but Nooroo explained.

“Well, sometimes it takes someone who’s less than… shall we say tactful to break through a bit of self-doubt,” the millennia-old bee goddess said in reply. “That is what I suspect happened. If someone’s clinging to their self-doubt, sometimes it takes a good metaphorical kick to the head for them to let it go.”

“I suppose…” Marinette agreed. “I’m just glad it didn’t backfire, that’s all.”

Pollen nodded before saying: “All’s well that ends well really!”

\------------

_ “Okay, so…” _ Adrien said, setting up his camera. _ “I suppose you all know what happened today. For those of you who don’t, I’ll recap. Paon attacked again today, they tried to make a sentimonster out of one of my classmates. Let me make this clear from the get-go, my school nor my classmates should be shamed. Collège Françoise Dupont is not a magnet for this sort of thing, everyone feels negative emotions from time to time. _

_ “It honestly scares me to admit that nobody in Paris can feel negative emotions anymore, not with the threat of Le Paon Bleu hanging over all of our heads. It’s not healthy, having to bottle up our emotions all the time. I call for our Mayor to do something. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. That is not the main focus of this little discussion. That can be saved for another time. _

_ “No, what I’m here to talk about is what I’m sure some of you are thinking of doing. Shaming my classmate for failing to stop Le Paon and failing to protect his Tenshi. I saw quite a few comments on the man who birthed a certain pigeon monster. They told him to go kill himself, to jump off the highest building amongst other horrible things. It disgusted me to see I share the same city with those people. You are cowards, raging at someone who can’t even fight back behind faceless computer screens. Are your lives that shallow? Are they that sad that you seek gratification through terrorizing an innocent man? You all disgust me. _

_ “Ivan did not fail. No, to be more accurate it would be to say Paon was ready for him. Paon has been fighting our city’s fair heroes for several weeks now. Paon has been fighting both the Lady Papillon and Honeybee, learning their moves and perfecting their craft. Perfecting their fighting style. _

_ “If you must shame someone, shame Paon for terrorizing our dear city. Because they are a terrorist, plain and simple. They are a coward to hide behind a mask and a coward to send out sentimonsters to prey on others’ emotions. You hear that Paon, you are a coward. YOU ARE A COWARD. Okay… Okay, I’m sorry, had to get that out there. Okay, no amoks flying my way. None of you need to worry. But I beg of you Paris, save your nastiness for whom it matters. This is Adrien Agreste, of the Bugout Blog signing off. Stay bee-zy Paris!” _

Adrien shut off the camera and then hit the post button. Within a few moments, the video was up for all to see. He looked over and saw Nino.

_“Duddddddeeee,”_ the Moroccan-borne boy said. “That was one major call out. That took guts!”

“No, not a callout Nino,” Adrien corrected his best friend. “A plea. A plea to Paris’ better, inner nature. That’s all.”

“What if Le Paon comes knocking?” Nino asked. “I mean, I can’t imagine they’d be happy with all of that…”

“Well, we’ll deal with it then,” Adrien said. “For now, we help our heroes.”

“Agreed!”

\------------

The very next day, Marinette caught a cab to Master Fu’s massage parlor.

“Master?” Marinette asked as she nervously peeked her head in, the bell chiming to alert the last of the Guardians to her presence. “You there?”

“Ah, Marinette,” Master Fu greeted warmly as he saw the young girl wheel herself in, Nooroo gently fluttering by her side. “I am glad to see you’re doing well after your… ordeal.”

“Doing well?” Marinette asked. “...well, I suppose that’s one way to put it really.”

“I… see,” Fu said. “For what it’s worth, I am so sorry. Had I known the effects of your Tenshi’s destruction would be so devastating, I would have warned you.”

“How did you…?” Marinette trailed off. “Oh, your granddaughter?”

“Mhmm,” Master Fu said. “She said you weren’t feeling well, and I soon realized exactly why.”

Marinette made a note to figure out who this relation of Fu’s exactly was. Nervously, she spoke. “...will it be like this every time?” she asked. “Every time one of my angels gets destroyed?”

“I… I am not sure,” Master Fu admitted. “I admit, I do not know as much about the Butterfly and it’s powers as I would like. Nooroo however…”

His voice trailed off, a none too subtle hint for the kwami to show himself.

“Perhaps,” the butterfly god admitted. “It is different for every holder, the stronger the bond between holder and Kwami the more dangerous for the holder it is. The more effects there will be if a Tenshi is… destroyed.”

“I imagine it is similar for Le Paon and the amoks?” Master Fu questioned. 

“It is possible, yes,” Nooroo said thinking of his sister kwami and her powers. “Though possibly not as severe. This is because it is not a living sentient being that is destroyed to break the connection. An amok, after all, is simply just a feather.”

“So this will happen again?” Marinette asked. “I’m… I’m not sure I’m ready to face that.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” Master Fu said and Marinette knew she was about to be scolded. But to her surprise, she was not. “You may be the Butterfly Hero, but I will not ask too much of you. You will have to fight again, yes that is true. But you don’t have to do it when you’re not good and ready. I believe Aurore and a temporary hero will be able to pick up the slack. Perhaps Trixx can…” he trailed off.

“No!” Nooroo said firmly and Master Fu’s eyes widened at the normally shy kwami being so stern. “That is like replacing Marinette. I know my holder, and she does not take kindly to that. Let Marinette recover on her own time, but never make her feel as if she’s useless! She doesn’t need that!”

“Nooroo…” Marinette trailed off shocked but quite pleased at her kwami sticking up for her. 

“I… am sorry,” Master Fu said. “Forgive an old man for his mistakes.”

“You were just doing what you thought was best Master…” Nooroo said before he turned back to Marinette. “However, we cannot afford to wait long, Mistress. Le Paon will strike again, someday soon, and we need to be ready…”

Marinette swallowed. “I… I understand.”

“More than that,” Nooroo put in. “The city will be wondering what happened to their champion, their savior. It’s best not to keep them worrying for too long. Take your time, and recover Mistress but please do remember that you have people counting on you.”

Meanwhile, Marinette wasn’t the only one having it out with her Kwami. On a rooftop, after a little leap across the city, Lila detransformed, tossing Duusu some birdseed. 

“So… what exactly did I do to Papillon?” Lila asked, setting herself down. “How… how bad is it?”

She remembered her own ‘attack’ after her first amok was destroyed. It was… unpleasant to say the least. It felt like her whole body was on fire, every part of it crying out for mercy. Thankfully, she had grown used to the feeling and in time it had subsided as her body adjusted to it. Nowadays, it was only a minor prick. Lila wondered if it was the same thing with Papillon.

“Oh, terrible!” Duusu said, beginning to tear up. She quickly recomposed herself. 

“I’m surprised you care.” the peacock then said snidely. Lila glared at her, and to her surprise, Duusu didn’t even wilt this time. 

“I’m not a monster,” Lila said and at this Duusu chimed in.

“You could have fooled me,” the kwami deadpanned. “What would _ you _call someone who attacks a city on a regular basis with massive monsters? What next, are you literally going to create Godzilla?”

“Don’t tempt me!” Lila warned, holding up a finger. 

“In any event,” Duusu went on. “It really isn’t that much different from how you fared after your first amok was destroyed. I can imagine it’s actually somewhat worse, as you sliced apart a living being to break the connection. It’s not as simple as just stomping on a feather.”

“Right…” Lila breathed. “Well, like me Papillon will adjust to the changes. This isn’t the last time I’ll be taking down one of her little angels. Still, credit where credit is due, her endless creativity continues to catch me off guard. An actual golem, oof. That one could hit. If not for the suit, I’d imagine I’d be in a whole lot more pain than I actually am.”

“Yes, well consider it a perk of being a butterfly or peacock hero,” Duusu said. “Because they’re not meant to go out into _ direct _ combat, they receive certain defensive bonuses. Imagine… Oh, I’m not sure if you’ve ever played Warhammer 40,000 so I’m not sure this analogy works...”

“I’ve heard of it,” Lila asked before looking at Duusu. “...you don’t strike me as the type to play it though.”

“What, you think I don’t have hobbies?” Duusu asked, crossing her arms. “In any event, there’s this class called the Severan Dominate alright? They have a tough defense, but have barely any attack. So they make you bleed for whatever you’ve got. See where I’m going with this?”

“Yeah, I guess, sorta…” Lila muttered, not really sure at all. She was just plain confused.

“Basically what I’m saying is you can take punishment, but you can’t really dish it out,” Duusu summarized. “Same thing with the Lady Papillon.”

“Don’t call her Lady!” Lila snapped.

“Bossy…” Duusu drawled. “So, I am curious, what will you do now? For a moment, you seemed almost human.”

Yes, she knew back sassing her mistress could only end badly but Duusu was feeling courageous today.

“I’m… not actually sure…” Lila trailed off. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

Of course, as it turns out supervillains are only half the problem in this city. Take, for example, BNP Paribas, the oldest bank in the country. Currently the 8th largest bank in the world, asset wise and operating in over 72 countries across the globe it was a tempting target. For crooks from all walks of life. It bore both a retail banking section and investment banking operation, with the bank being present on five continents. The retail side of things served more than 30 million customers in three different three domestic markets: France, Belgium, and Italy. It did this through several brands such as BNL and Fortis. Despite some legal difficulties here and there, -such as being fined the largest ever sum for violating US sanctions- it remains one of the 10 largest banks worldwide. As I said, a very tempting target for crooks from all walks of life.

Take today for example. “Hold up, this is a stick-up!”

Corny and cliche, I know. But effective as it turned out, and it was a busy day for the bank branch as several high-end clients had come in that day.

“Hold on, this is so not very rock and roll!” Jagged Stone declared. “Can’t you people go rob someplace else, I was having such a nice day!”

A gun was pointed in the British rock star’s face. “Be silent!” the lead crook barked.

“Okay, okay, I’m being silent…” Jagged said as he knelt on the ground, hands behind his head.

“Now see here!” Mayor Bourgeois barked. “You ruffians are not robbing a bank in my city!”

“And what are you going to do to stop us, play hero?” the lead crook asked. “Because last I checked I’m the one with the GUN!”

He fired it in the air to make his point. Jalil watched nervously from behind a potted plant, and when nobody was watching dialed his phone. It was shot out of his hands, but the message had been sent. A simple one, reading: “HELP!”

It wasn’t long before the news picked up on this. TVi was the first on the scene. _“Don't be bemused, it's just the news! This is Nadja Chamack speaking. I’m here live at the BNP Paribas Paris branch where as shocking as it seems, several of our great and good citizens are trapped inside including our dear mayor!”_

“Daddy…” Chloe whispered looking up from Sabrina’s stolen sketches and her sewing kit. 

_“Oh, I have just heard,”_ Nadja continued. _“It seems visiting rockstar Jagged Stone is also trapped inside, this is terrible! Where are Honeybee and Lady Papillon?”_

Marinette nearly dropped her next to finished hat in shock, given Jagged Stone was one of her rock idols. Alix watched nervously from her room, given her brother was the one who sent the help message and she’d sent it off to the news crews.

“You know who they need…” a voice in the back of Marinette’s mind said. No, it wasn’t a voice in the back of her mind. It was Nooroo’s.

“But what if…?” Marinette trailed off. Nooroo glared at her, in a surprisingly scary fashion coming from the little kwami. 

“What if Le Paon shows up?” Nooroo asked. “This doesn’t seem like their type of thing, it seems to be more random happenstance over anything else. In any event, you can’t keep living your life in fear. Paris needs you. Paris needs you to find a champion!” he lectured.

Marinette nodded numbly, still in shock from Nooroo’s sudden firmness. He was right, absolutely right. Transforming and letting the warm power of the butterfly overtake her, Marinette scanned the city for any surges of positive emotions. Who could she send out to stop this? Who could save the day?

She felt a surge of emotions, a familiar source. Alix again. For a brief moment, Marinette hesitated. She was getting predictable, but then again, this wasn’t Paon she was fighting. Plus, Alix had a personal stake in this it seemed.

Kissing her Tenshi, she let it fly whispering: “Go ahead my little angel, and create a champion to save Paris from this horrible act…”

Alix felt the familiar warmth arrive, and was encased in a glowing cocoon before it shattered to reveal the Tagger once again. Inside her mind came Lady Papillon’s voice. _ “Tagger, you are needed once more to defend Paris. Your brother is inside that bank, correct? Save him, and everyone else. Bring these criminals to justice!” _

“Oh yeah!” Alix cried as she leaped out a window, going into a wall grind as shards of glass fell all around her. Building up speed, she used Paris as her own personal playground, grinding atop benches and car roofs and whatever she could use to gain some extra speed. Not to mention style points, but that was neither here nor there. Soon, the bank was in sight and Alix launched herself into a flying side kick sending one of the thugs sprawling as she burst through the doors. 

Gasps echoed as the Tagger made her long-awaited reappearance in Paris. From her safe spot inside her closet, Marinette watched the proceedings on her smartphone. Little by little, the thugs were weeded down via Tagger’s various abilities.

_ “What’s this?” _ Nadja Chamack asked. _ “Why… why I don’t believe it, it’s the Tagger unseen in Paris since the attack on the Louvre!” _

“That is so very rock and roll, right there!” Jagged shouted as he watched the superheroine completely own the thugs. “Oh, I have got to get turned into a hero one day if this is how these things work in Paris!”

Jalil watched in amazement and pride. He knew who was under that mask. _ “You go get them, little sister.” _

The Mayor was of a different mind, quite annoyed that a 14-year-old girl was outperforming some of his best officers. But then again, if he argued against the now famous Lady of Paris and her abilities, her champions? Well, his approval rating was sure to be in the toilet.

The Tagger finished off the last of the thugs with a spray can to the face and a snarky comment of: “Lady Papillon sends her regards!”

Cheers erupted with Tagger smiling, saluting and then zooming off…

  
  


\------------

“A fine return to form, Marinette,” Master Fu praised as he de-transformed, Trixx appearing and getting tossed a berry for his troubles. The thugs, now in lock up, vanished in a puff of orange smoke. “I knew all you needed was that extra little push…”

\------------

The very next day, it was time to present everyone’s finished derbies. To Mr. Damocles' complete and utter surprise -not to mention Adrien’s- Mr Agreste himself appeared to judge the winners.

“Father!” Adrien gasped out as he saw the man stride onto the school grounds. 

“Ah, uh, hello Mr. Agreste. Welcome to our school,” Mr. Damocles said nearly falling over himself in his shock. “As you'll see, Mr. Agreste, our students have poured their hearts and souls into their projects.”

Gabriel looked around, seeing the various hats. One was covered in jewels, mhmm way too tacky. One resembled a steampunk style, covered in obviously fake gears and cogs. Strike that, those were the real deal. Mhmm, points for creativity and ingenuity. Then there was one that was just plain… ugh. Bright neon purple and lime green should never be used in the same combination like that. What were they thinking?

But there was a curiosity, two hats exactly the same. 

Marinette noticed the same thing Mr. Agreste had and grit her teeth upon seeing what Chloe had done. “Ugh, that thieving little brat!” she hissed out. “Just when I thought there was a glimmer of hope for her…”

But she was not panicking. Why exactly would soon become evident.

“Uh, hi Mr. Agreste. I'm Chloé Bourgeois. You know my father, André Bourgeois, the mayor?” Chloe said as Mr. Agreste walked over to ‘her’ hat. “Marinette copied my design! It's scandalous, how could she do that?”

Gabriel frowned, though not for the reason one might think. He knew Chloe, and not to be harsh but he knew when it came down to it, the young girl was more likely to steal someone’s design than work a day in her life. He knew exactly what was going on here, though how young Marinette intended to prove her design had been stolen was another matter entirely.

_ “Alright then, let’s see what you do Madame Dupain-Cheng…” _he thought.

“I apologize for the situation Mr. Agreste, but I can prove that this derby hat is MY original design,” Marinette said as she wheeled herself over. She picked up her hat in one hand, and Chloe’s in the other. “Um, everything on my derby hat is hand-made. from the embroidery to the weaving of the band, to the stitching of the brim. Note the differences.”

“Impressive…” Gabriel said as he felt the hat that was obviously Marinette’s. There was a different feel to Chloe’s. It was like handling a Gucci and then a poor knock off.

“All done by myself. And last, there's a special design element that only the true designer knows about: I signed mine!” Marinette said somewhat smugly as she showed her hat, and then Chloe’s. Sure enough, a gold embroidering read Marinette.

“Very exquisite creation. You definitely have the laboring hands of a hat maker, Madame Dupain-Cheng,” Gabriel praised, Marinette trying not to nearly die on the spot. Aurore handed her a bag to breathe in. 

“Please, call me Marinette. Calling me Madame Dupain-Cheng makes me think you’re talking to my mother…” Marinette said with a flush.

“Very well then. Congratulations on your demonstration, Miss Marinette. You're the winner. Adrien will wear your derby on our next advertising campaign.”

Speaking of Adrien, he was NOT happy with what Chloe had pulled. “Chloe…” he said. “I thought I knew you. Stealing designs?”

Everyone could sense trouble in the air.

“You could have ruined my friend Marinette’s career as a designer had she not signed her design! I’m ashamed to call you my friend right now,” Adrien went on, Chloe’s eyes widening in shock. “In fact… I’m not even sure if I can be friends with a liar and a cheat.”

“Uh-oh…” Alix murmured before letting out a low whisper. “Sunshine is mad…”

“Adrie-kins…” Chloe said with her lower lip beginning to tremble.

“No, it’s Adrien!” Adrien barked, perhaps a bit too harshly. But Chloe _ needed _to understand. “I’m not sure why you feel the need to go out of your way to be such a bully, but it stops now. I cannot be friends with someone who goes out of their way to bully one of my best friends!”

“But… but…” Chloe stammered out.

“No buts, my word on this is final. I’m done talking here…” Adrien said before walking off, as Chloe choked back a sob before running off.

“Wow, that was uh… something, dude,” Nino said, laying a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You sure you’re going to be alright?”

“I’m more worried about Chloe to be honest…” Adrien admitted.

“Well, if she can’t grow out of this mentality, well it’s her own fault. I don’t think she realizes what she’s lost…” Nino said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so yeah. Sunshine Child is growing a spine. That happened. Only time will tell how this affects things.
> 
> Also, yes I was as weirded out as you are probably right now with the sheer imagery of Duusu of all Kwamis playing Warhammer. Rule of funny, and nothing says funny like an overemotional god playing a game about xenophobic warriors. Everyone needs a hobby, right? But yeah, this is where everything starts to change. Side note, Fu being behind the thugs was a late addition, but I liked it, him playing a trickster mentor-type role here.
> 
> Plus, more Trixx. Best kwami aside from Nooroo. Win-win. Another side note, I went over the word 'spaz' with a British friend, and he was hardly offended as he understood the context. Also, I still would love opinions on Guardian in Training Gabriel...


	13. 13: Honeybee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this chapter's a bit of an odd one really. It basically more or less takes concurrently with chapter 12, basically Aurore's side of the story really.

_ “Honeybee?” Paon mocked. “More like a wasp!” _

Charge, attack, sting. Charge attack sting. Chargeattacksting. Chargeattacksting. 

_ She cartwheeled forwards before leaping and heel dropping on top of Golem’s closed fist, the hand jittering open from the sheer shock. A crumpled up piece of paper, glowing a bright pink fell out. Paon knew what it was instantly, and ripped it open. _

_ “NO!” Honeybee cried out as a butterfly weakly fluttered out before being sliced apart by Paon’s fan. _

Charge, attack, sting. Charge attack sting. Chargeattacksting. Chargeattacksting.

Aurore went over the motions in her mind, again and again. Over and over. That was how it went. That was how it always went. She, never once, had managed to strike Le Paon successfully. Paon was right, she was like a wasp. Dangerous, and angry.

Aurore took several deep breaths. No use being amok fuel. Damn them. Damn Paon. With them lurking about, it was impossible to feel. To be human. Not without the danger of a little blue feather hanging over your head every day, every hour.

Maybe she should look into gym memberships, get a punching bag or two to beat up.

Aurore fought back a sob, even as Pollen rubbed her shoulders calmly. Pollen looked to the open laptop, and suppressed a venom bubbling up inside her. No use accidently paralyzing the whole house. 

On the screen were various comments on the BugOut blog. Ugly comments. Snide ones, from people resting safely behind a computer screen and walls of text. Pollen felt a protective surge flow through her, the little bee puffing up in anger. Imagine the nerve of these people! If they knew how her chosen fought so hard…

Could Kwamis even be Amok targets? Personally, Pollen didn’t want to know.

The comments read like this.

_ “You call yourself a hero? You’re a failure, you never defeat Le Paon!” _

_ “You’re useless! I don’t know why Our Lady keeps you around as a partner!” _

_ “Honeybee? More like a gnat!” _

_ “You got Papillon’s champion defeated! You ought to turn your venom on yourself, see how you like it!” _

Pollen took several deep calming breaths. She kept a careful eye on the window, and looked for little blue feathers. Whether they were coming for her or for her chosen. 

“Are you alright, My Qu… Aurore?” 

Inwardly, Pollen knew it was a stupid question. She regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth.

“I thought we’ve talked about this?” Aurore asked bitingly. Her expression softened as Pollen flinched. “Sorry, it’s just that…”

“I know, I know my…. Sorry, Aurore,” Pollen said before chasisting herself. Damn that little habit of hers, it was one she needed to break. She looked back at the computer screen and very gently closed the laptop with an ugly expression. Aurore winced, she knew it wasn’t directed at _ her _but all the same… “You shouldn’t listen to them, they don’t know anything.”

“I don’t know, they seem to be pretty right on the money. Useless?” Aurore swallowed before laughing bitterly. “Yeah, I’m pretty useless. I can’t seem to land that one good clean blow on Paon. Hell, I Venomed Mari’s champion! I’m more hindrance than help.”

“Le Paon’s just _that_ good, loathe as I am to admit it,” Pollen said in reply. “They do know how to handle themselves in a fight. You’re not useless Aurore, and if I ever hear you call yourself that again I _ will _Venom you myself!”

There was no way that a little chibi bee creature should look that scary when mad, but somehow Pollen pulled it off. 

“Thanks Pollen…” Aurore murmured. “But there’s no real need to do that.”

Those people were right, Aurore thought to herself. She _ was _useless, she’d been nothing but a hindrance to her partner. Quite honestly, Aurore was beginning to wonder exactly why she had been chosen to be Marinette’s partner. She never seemed to live up to the responsibilities of being a Miraculous holder. Pollen had to be so ashamed of her.

She had every right to be, honestly. Time and time again -Charge, attack, sting. Charge attack sting. Chargeattacksting. Chargeattacksting. That’s how the cycle went- she proved to be less help and more of a problem. Yeah, sure she provided some extra muscle and another body to throw at Paon but really that was it. Hell, that last fight? She was responsible for Ivan getting beaten so badly, and Marinette’s Tenshi getting destroyed. Oh god, oh god what kind of pain was Marinette in? Aurore knew she and her Tenshis were incredibly connected, and… and… Aurore was close to tears now. Amok or no amok, she needed a good long cry. She didn’t care what Pollen thought of her right now.

Pollen was whispering soft soothing tones in a truly ancient language to her holder, seeing how distressed she was. Wiping away the snot, -all the while keeping an eye out for feathers- the little god soothed her bearer. 

“You should really just let me put you back into the Miracle Box,” Aurore sighed. “Or find you another Holder. Maybe Alix, she’d kick Paon’s ass.”

Finally, Pollen had enough. She’d simply had enough of her bearer feeling sorry for herself. “Aurore Beauréal!” Pollen said sharpty, making her bearer’s eyes widen. Pollen _ never _used her full name. Just called her simply Aurore or ‘My Queen’ or some little variation. “That is enough of that! I will not have you feeling sorry for yourself!”

“But…” 

“No buts!” Pollen said. “You’ve had your little cry, now you will listen to me. Those… people are nothing but fools! They know nothing!”

For a second, Pollen sounded if she was going to replace the word ‘people’ with something nastier. Aurore laughed wetly, trust her kwami to be polite even when faced with internet trolls.

“Didn’t know you could even insult people,” Aurore thought aloud. “You’re usually so polite.”

“I have my limits. I’m polite only to you, you should see how I am with some of the other Kwamis. Your job is to keep harmony in the hive, and so it is my job. I am what I need to be. Mother, friend, guardian, and the one who slaps sense into people when need be. Isn’t that what you are as well?”

“Well, most of the time,” Aurore said. “When I’m not being…”

Pollen glared, daring her to finish that sentence. Her hands were on her hips, her tiny wings buzzing angrily. “Marinette picked you as one of her best friends, no her _ best _ friend for a reason. You are kind, generous, and willing to help others however you can. Even if that means slapping sense into them even if they don’t want it. You’ve got a fire in you Aurore, blazing like the sun if you will. I won’t allow it to go out thanks to some people behind a screen. Understand? What would _ Marinette _ think if she saw you like this?”

Aurore’s eyes widened. Yes, what would her best friend think if she saw her like this. So weak, and ready to give up being Honeybee AKA the best job in the world? When she was Honeybee, she was awesome. She was free to help others. She wasn’t a regular teenager anymore. She was Aurore Beauréal! The one, the only, accept no substitutes. 

“Thanks Poll,” Aurore whispered. “I… I needed that.”

Pollen had a rather smug look on her face before she continued.

“As for those people? Really now! If they were in your position, what would they do? They don’t know how hard you’ve fought, not really! So what gives them the right to feed off your misery, and demean you and insult you and humiliate you over the internet! I bet if you got Amokatized -Kwamis forbid!- then they wouldn’t be laughing.”

“No need to get angry on my account,” Aurore soothed as she pushed a plate of granola bars -with honey- over to the steamed Kwami. “They’re just internet trolls, like you said they love to feed off others misery. It’s what they do.”

“Well, they’re horrible people,” Pollen decided, crossing her arms. “I have half a mind to go onto your friend Adrien’s blog and tell them what for myself! Shame stockades no longer exist as punishment, because I’d have Kaalki go round them up and then put them there. We’d bear their shame and then pelt them with fruit!”

Aurore couldn’t help herself, she snorted at the image of two small little gods pelting faceless trolls with fruit.

“And another thing!” Pollen continued to rant. “Why do you call them trolls? Do they look like goblins? They certainly don’t look like those little cute dolls from the 70s!”

Pollen, for the record, had a… obsession with troll dolls. It would have been cute -and it certainly started out that way- had it not been for Pollen’s expensive tastes and her real love for the cute figurines. It was an amazement Aurore’s parents hadn’t confronted her about -what they probably believed anyways- was Aurore taking up a collection. The little dolls practically _ littered _Aurore’s desk, and oh you didn’t want to see the closet Pollen had turned into a makeshift hive. It was kinda scary actually.

Pollen took several deep calming breaths. “I’m… sorry,” she said ashamed. “I shouldn’t have gotten so worked up about… all of that.”

Aurore’s only response was to cuddle the little god close to her face, and even as Pollen nuzzled her, she said: “No, you had every right to be angry.”

“All the same though,” Pollen said buzzing around to perch herself on Aurore’s right shoulder. “Those… people, they’re hardly worth your time. Your attention.”

“They’re not worth yours either,” Aurore said. Pollen snorted slightly and nodded.

“Touche!” she agreed. Aurore’s phone buzzed, Marinette’s smiling face appearing on it. “...you should probably answer that.” Pollen pointed out.

_ “Aurore, you alright?” _Marinette rapidly texted. It was a few short seconds, it probably must have felt like an eternity to Marinette. Good god, Aurore thought to herself. She was a mess. Marinette would probably be ashamed if she knew she was stuck with such a useless flake. Finally, Aurore answered. Slowly, she tapped her fingers on the keypad

“I’m fine, what about you?” Aurore texted back with a little cartoon smiley. But of course, it was attached to a bee. “Please tell me you’re alright, because if you’re not I’ve got hot cocoa moo and cheesy romance movies on standby!”

Pollen suppressed a snort. But of course, her Queen would call chocolate milk something like cocoa moo. 

_ “Truth be told, I think I’m going to need more than just milk and cheesy romance movies. It’s like… ugh, I don’t know how to explain it.” _ Marinette texted back, her fingers a blur.

“Okay then, several volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist and Cardcaptor Sakura it is then. How are you holding up? Oh, stupid question. I… I saw what happened, Mari,” Aurore texted back hesitantly. “Look, I won’t even pretend to understand how you’re feeling. Me and Pollen, it’s not like you and Nooroo. Your bond with your Champions, it’s different. Irony really, I suspect the only one who could even begin to understand what’s the matter with you is the one who got you like this.”

Aurore snorted at the whole thing, imagine Paon of all people -_ of all people! _\- being the only one who might know what her little sister was going through. World class irony there. 

Pollen smiled, her bearer was back on her feet and that was what mattered. Now Marinette was the one in need of aid, and she knew Aurore could provide that. The next few days, Pollen knew, were going to test them all. Briefly, she wondered how Paon was doing, but decided not to think about it. That monster was barely worth a thought right now. Poor Duusu, Pollen mused. _ “Stay stronger, sister of mine, we’ll find you… eventually. And when we do, there’s no force on this planet that will be able to stop me.” _

\------------

That night, at Marinette’s place, Aurore talked to her friend/sister in all but blood about her woes.

“...and they were just so cruel Mari,” Aurore said even as on-screen one Roy Mustang went up against the vile Fuhrer Bradley. The fight had been mostly forgotten about though, for the moment at least. Under Pollen’s advice, Aurore had decided to talk to her friend about her issues. “I mean, I’m hard to get to, but…”

“They hit you where it hurts?” Marinette asked. Marinette, needless to say, was shocked. Aurore had to be one of the strongest people Marinette knew, confident -very self-confident- and at times actually sorta cocky. To see her so down in the dumps was… yeah, it was very jarring, to say the least.

“Yeah, yeah they did,” Aurore admitted. “I… I’m not proud of this Marinette, but for a moment I seriously considered giving Pollen back to the Miracle Box…”

Marinette’s jaw _ dropped. _Like seriously dropped. She swore she must have misheard. She surely must have! But… But Aurore loved being a superhero! To even hear her considering giving Pollen back to Master Fu to shut her away again was… well, it was inconceivable! The words ‘giving up’ and ‘Aurore’ didn’t even belong in the same sentence, hell the same country even!

“Seriously?” Marinette asked.

“I.. yeah, seriously. Seriously seriously,” Aurore admitted. “Yeah, I know. I’m not proud of it either. Pollen slapped some sense into me shortly afterwards.”

“Not literally?” Marinette asked, trying to imagine the small little bumblebee-like creature doing such a thing.

“Well, not _ literally _ but she _ maaaayyyyyyy _have gone on a small rant.”

“Pollen? Ranting?” Marinette asked, blinking in surprise. “...but she seems so nice…”

“Oh, she is!” Nooroo piped in fluttering next to his holder. “But she’s also very protective of her hive. She’s easily the most motherly of us all, even when compared to Tikki.”

“So I see…” Marinette mused. “I guess we’re all sorta traumatized by… well, all of this I suppose.”

“You sure you’re feeling alright Marinette?” Aurore inquired. “You don’t look so hot…”

“Well, I’m feeling better. Not _ great _but better,” Marinette explained. “Pain’s starting to go down, I mean mostly it was just a brief moment of shock and oh my god I feel like I’m on fire and then…”

Nooroo winced, he wished Marinette wouldn’t downplay it so much. It was a trauma, for both her and for him. But it was probably for the best, he reasoned, that Marinette didn’t tell Aurore how bad it really was. She was in terrible shape as it was, guilt-ridden. No need to make it worse. Some said Marinette’s kindness might be the death of her one day, but Nooroo considered it her greatest strength. There was so much cruelty in the world today, who did it hurt to be a little kinder? Even lie about your pain to save your friend some grief?

“If you say so…” Aurore said not sounding entirely sure if she believed Marinette or not.

Meanwhile, Pollen had logged into the BugOut blog under a username -_theAuthenticBee_\- and was… well, going on the warpath. Her little paws were a blur, the kwami typing away on Aurore’s phone.

“What are you doing?” Nooroo asked in a concerned tone peering over her shoulder. “...is… is that the BugOut blog?”

“Yes, yes it is,” Pollen said, her little paws going at lightspeed. Nooroo frowned.

“You’re not going after those trolls are you?” he asked. Pollen’s annoyed grunt was all the answer he needed. Nooroo frowned in disappointment. He sighed. “Oh, _ Pollen…” _

“What?” Pollen said before she looked back at her friend. “Oh, don’t give me the puppy dog eyes look. Barkk’s the only one who can get away with that.”

“I wasn’t saying anything,” Nooroo said.

“Oh, yes you were. You were giving me _ the look. _That’s my ‘look’ to give you.” Pollen replied.

“Yes, and I’m giving you it for a reason,” Nooroo returned. “Take the high road, Poll. They’re not worth it.”

“But they…” Pollen started, Nooroo holding up a hand to silence her.

“Yes, I am well aware of what ‘they’ did. But Marinette said to me not to feed the trolls. I’m also pretty sure you said to Aurore that they weren’t worth her time. And I am also pretty sure they aren’t worth _ your _time either,” Nooroo said. “Am I not correct?”

Pollen grumbled something under her breath that probably would have made Tikki slap her upside the head if she’d ever heard. “Yeah, you’re right…” the bee god admitted sourly.

“I understand, Poll, I really do. But this is what those people want,” Nooroo lectured. “You’re just giving it to them.”

“Sometimes you’re too kind for your own good, you know that right?” Pollen remarked. “Someday I swear it’ll be the death of you.”

“There’s too much cruelty in the world today, so…” Nooroo began with Pollen finishing for him.

“...what’s wrong with a little kindness to balance it out?” Pollen said as she set the phone down, closing out the BugOut blog. “Yep, you’re definitely Marinette’s kwami!”

“Just as you’re Aurore’s,” Nooroo stated and the two shared a little laugh. 

“So, what will you do now?” Aurore had to ask her friend. “I mean… Le Paon will be back eventually. You’re not just going to live your life worrying over what’ll happen to your next champion are you?”

“I… I don’t know. Just don’t rush me okay?” Marinette asked. “Honestly, I could ask the same of you. You’re not going to worry about how you might screw up or anything in the next battle are you?”

Quite honestly, Aurore didn’t exactly have an answer. And that, if you asked her was what scared her even more than screwing up in a fight against Le Paon Bleu. Finally, after a few moments of silence she managed to scrounge up a -hopefully passable- answer. To Marinette, she said: “I… yeah, to be honest I’ll try but I’m just not sure just yet…”

  
\------------

_ “....No, what I’m here to talk about is what I’m sure some of you are thinking of doing. Shaming my classmate for failing to stop Le Paon and failing to protect his Tenshi. I saw quite a few comments on the man who birthed a certain pigeon monster. They told him to go kill himself, to jump off the highest building amongst other horrible things. It disgusted me to see I share the same city with those people. You are cowards, raging at someone who can’t even fight back behind faceless computer screens. Are your lives that shallow? Are they that sad that you seek gratification through terrorizing an innocent man?” _

Sometimes people amazed Lila with how petty they could be. Okay, yeah, so she was pretty petty herself but she had _ standards _as amazing as it was to believe. She lied, she manipulated and oh yeah, she certainly gaslighted -not to mention she was a supervillain in training all just to get herself noticed by her mother, how pathetic was that?- but going out and telling someone to kill themselves? Oh no, she would never go out and be that low. Nonna would be so disappointed in her. 

Lila was a manipulator, she worked with what was already there. People were idiots, fools really. They liked to present themselves as perfect, but Lila knew better. They all had their little dark emotions that they liked to bottle up inside, or they had their little sides to themselves that they pretended not to exist. Lila just gave them that little push to bring it out. But all the same, she could be genuinely surprised by how low people could actually sink. She really could. It actually stunned her -sorta- by the depths people could sink when behind the safety of a screen. Oh, she’d certainly heard of this happening but to see it for herself on the BugOut blog…? 

Huh, so Sunshine Child had a bit of a spine after all, Lila mused. He’d publicly posted their URLs and the like for all to see, and like there was blood in the water the sharks came. And it was feeding frenzy time. These people were publicly shamed, called out for all the world to see. Lila would have likened it to gang warfare, actually. The people shaming and the people being shamed firing back with their own shots. It was… yeah.

“It’s a mess isn’t it?” came a familiar tone and Lila blinked as she watched Nathaniel walk over, the normally shy boy pulling up a chair next to her. A few students peered out from amongst the bookshelves, surprised by the sight as much as Lila was. 

“That’s one word for it,” Lila said. She snorted. “Probably underselling it, really.”

Nathaniel snorted as well. “Yeah, that probably is kinda underselling it. Shouldn’t you be working on the project with Alix?”

“Eh, we finished a day ago,” Lila waved him off dismissively. “We did a… well, I’m not telling you. It’d spoil the surprise. You’ll just have to wait and see won’t you?”

“Adrien did a good thing,” Nathaniel appraised. “Like really, he did. Those people had it coming.”

“Let’s just hope he can handle his site going nuts,” Lila said before gesturing at her laptop. “I mean… wow. Mio Dio… I didn’t think he had it in him really!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nathaniel asked, the tomato haired boy narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Well, you have seen Adrien right? Boy’s got a death wish chasing after those superheroes of his, but boy is he not one to seek conflict. He’s very much like a turtle, hunkers down in his shell and waits for the storm to pass,” Lila said. “Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that’s my opinion anyways.”

“I suppose that’s fair enough,” Nathaniel admitted. “I actually admire him for… well that little quality of his. Not all of us have to really get involved, majorly I mean.”

“You’re just saying this as a fellow introvert, aren’t you?” Lila asked in a teasing tone.

“M-Maybe…” Nathaniel stuttered out. “It’s just… well, I do worry about Adrien, even if I can see why he’s the way he is.”

“His father, and Chloe?” Lila asked with Nathaniel nodding. “Yeah, they are sorta controlling aren’t they?”

“I mean, I _ guess _they do sorta care in their own ways, but…” Nathaniel said before wincing. “It’s just, well they could show it better.”

“Please! Chloe doesn’t care one bit,” Lila scoffed knowing very well Sabrina was watching and hoping she’d get the message. “I don’t think she cares about anyone really. I mean, have you _ seen _the way she hangs off Adrien? She just cares about two things. Fame, and influence. That’s it.”

“Bit harsh isn’t it?” Nathaniel asked. Lila snorted.

“You got a better way of describing it?” Lila asked and when Nathaniel didn’t answer she said: “Yeah, that’s what I thought!”

“A-Actually,” Nathaniel spoke up, his voice still a slight stutter. “I’ve seen Chloe’s mom on TV. She’s… well, she’s a character. Extremely overbearing. And I observe people, I’m quiet so I don’t get noticed. Chloe’s eyes? There’s a lot of pain in them. She’s probably crying on the inside, even if she’s too proud to admit it.”

Huh. Just huh. Lila didn’t even know Nathaniel knew how to observe people, figure them out. She always thought he was just the boy with the sketchbook. What little respect she had for the redhead was slowly growing. Lila knew she could use him as a source of information if she so desired. 

“If you say so…” Lila replied with a small little scoff. “Personally I think you’re being too generous about it but to each his own.”

“Just give her a chance Lila,” Nathaniel said as the Italian fought back the urge to groan. Just how stupid was this boy? Just how… ugh, nice was he? “Maybe you’ll be surprised.”

Lila personally, waited for the day when she could Amokatize the blond. Now that would be a fun day indeed!

\------------

Nervously, Aurore zipped from rooftop to rooftop, feet only rarely touching solid ground before she was off again. Just a few steps and then her feet met open air again as she zip zip zipped to another rooftop. Another brief run, and then another rooftop before Aurore leaped off this rooftop and ran alongside an apartment block.

Honestly, Aurore had no real reason to patrol the city, given Le Paon seemed to be laying low -not that it was any excuse to let down her guard- but free-running as Honeybee always calmed the nerves. Gave her time to think, get away from life and from schoolwork. Here she wasn’t Aurore but Honeybee, the idol of Paris.

Well, this was most of the time. Lately, it seemed not even Honeybee was free from the stresses of real life. 

It used to be just run, patrol, and dive in on anyone making trouble. Unlike Marinette, Aurore was free to get out of the house more, if you will and be a bit more of a public figure. Purse snatchers, stick up artists and the like were fair game to her. There was one memorable night, Aurore remembered soon after she unveiled herself to the city. She was on a patrol, and heard a scream. She’d dropped in an alleyway and saw some scumbag trying to rape a woman. She judo-flipped the bastard, and strung him up -and by the way this was  _ after _ he’d taken his pants off- from a lamppost in front of the police station. 

Needless to say, Honeybee had become pretty popular after that little incident. Marinette thought they should only go after the supervillains, keep the police from being too reliant on them. Aurore personally thought this was bullshit, saying they were superheroes. If someone was in trouble, they should stop to help.

Tonight though, Aurore really sure wasn’t feeling like a superhero. Sliding back against a chimney, she de-transformed. Pollen looked at her holder in confusion even as Aurore fished some honey granola bars out of her pocket.

“Aurore?” Pollen prodded. “Are you still…?”

“Nervous about it all?” Aurore asked with a small nod. “About me being Honeybee? Um… yeah, pretty much. God! It’s been a few days since this all happened! But I…”

“You still can’t forgive yourself can you?” Pollen asked and again Aurore nodded. “If I may, my Queen, I do have a suggestion.”

Aurore didn’t even bother to correct her this time, worn out as she was. “Sure, go ahead,” she said with a little wave of her hand.

“If I may,” Pollen suggested. “I would suggest that you go to visit the former Golem and talk to him. See if he forgives you. That should bring you peace.”

“That’s… that’s actually a good idea!” Aurore said.

“Well, I  _ am  _ a millennia-old goddess. I’ve been around the block before you know, I’ve pretty much seen it all. So I do have  _ some  _ good ideas from time to time!” Pollen said smugly.

“But what if Ivan doesn’t forgive me?” Aurore had to ask. Although, she really didn’t believe her own words. She’d seen Ivan, he was a kind and gentle soul. He wasn’t the grudge holding type honestly. 

“You know as well as I do that Ivan doesn’t hold grudges,” Pollen lectured softly. “I’m quite sure you will be fine.”

“Y-You’re right,” Aurore said, picking herself up off the roof and standing tall. Tall and proud as she was meant to, Pollen thought with a smile. With a cry, she called out: “Pollen, Buzz On!”

It was only minutes later that Honeybee found herself at the Bruel household. With a gentle knock, she tapped on the window with her hand.

“Honeybee?” Ivan asked in shock. “W-What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know, just buzzing on through the neighborhood,” Honeybee said as she stood crouched on the windowsill. “After all, one can never be too careful. Le Paon caught me off-guard once with Aurore and so I’m doing a few more patrols than normal. No more little surprises.”

Aurore remembered the excuse released to the public when she had become Amokatized, with her citing she’d been knocked out by the storm dragon before she got a chance to transform. Before she got a chance to save… well, herself, and that how she would be ever thankful for young Adrien Agreste for taking initiative and going in her place. Yeah, that had been a close one. If Aurore had been not as good at making up stories as she was -years of babysitting helped- Le Paon might have gotten wise to just who they’d gotten that day. 

So no more close calls. Since that time, Aurore had been managing her anger and trying to be less of the prideful sort. Okay, yeah it was hard as she was just that awesome but she had to be careful. Any more slip-ups like that day and yikes. Good god, how she hated Le Paon. It was impossible to even  _ feel  _ in this city anymore. To be human. Marinette had mentioned how she only made Ivan a champion just to stop Le Paon from getting to him first.

Aurore swore when she finally got her hands on whoever was beneath that hood they’d be getting a good solid punch to the face. Kidnapping little Duusu and enslaving them was bad enough, but making Paris afraid of negative emotions entirely was another matter.

Mayor Bourgeois, to his credit, had set up mandatory counseling and Amok Therapy as it was called. He’d set up squads to help out those who Paon got, with shock blankets and the like. One of his few good actions as mayor, really if you were to ask her. Granted, it was all to keep his approval rating on at an all-time high but still! If he kept this up, Aurore thought to herself with a snort, she may actually reconsider her stance on not voting for the ass! 

“But actually,” Aurore continued. “I wanted to see how you were. After the whole… you know, me stinging you and you getting your Tenshi destroyed and all…” she said rapidly nervously pressing her fingers together.

“Oh, I see…” Ivan said. “It’s not your fault you know, any of it.”

“But I stung you, and if I hadn’t…” Aurore said. “Le Paon might have not gotten to your Tenshi!”

“Or she might have, for all I know,” Ivan said. “I’m not going to hold it against you.”

“You’re not?” Aurore asked, trying not to cry.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Ivan said. “It was just a simple accident, accidents happen!”

“Thanks, you had no idea how much I needed that,” Aurore admitted. “Stay safe, okay? And say hi to your girlfriend for me alright? Congrats on the hook-up by the way!”

Zipping off, she left one very confused Ivan in her wake. Aurore felt like she was at an all-time high. Pollen was right! She was exactly right! That had been exactly what she needed! She needed to make peace with her demons, and she had!

With a joyful shout, she zipped around a street corner and landed on top of a rooftop after spinning in mid-air. Oh, she so owed Pollen some of those belgan waffles made with honey and vanilla that she knew the little bumblebee goddess liked so much.

A scream cut through the night, and Aurore’s eyes widened before she was immediately on the run again. Across rooftop and rooftop, she ran and followed the sound of the scream. A little convenience store just below her, and through the window, she spied a guy with a gun.

There was a woman taking shelter behind the cash register, nervously handing the robber his money. Aurore’s eyes narrowed. Time for Honeybee to get to work. 

“Back to action!” she cried as she leaped off the rooftop and landed in the parking lot. 

“Oh no you don’t!” she cried smashing through the window with a flying dive kick. “Sorry, but there’s only one type of person allowed to wear masks in this city. Sorry to say, it’s not you!”

A sharp gasp from the woman as she spied Honeybee, and the robber’s eyes narrowed beneath his mask.

“So what are you going to do?” the robber asked. “Sting me like you did your partner?”

Aurore faltered only briefly, but it was enough for the guy to fire off a shot. Aurore rolled to the left before she grabbed a carton of eggs. “Here’s egg on your face!” she called.

** _SPLAT!_ **

The robber staggered before Aurore kneed him in the gut. “So, okay, yeah, I messed up back there. Mistakes happen, shit happens. I’m not perfect,” she told the robber. “But I’m still going to come out all smiles and stop you! Have a taste of my VENOM!”

Soon the robber was falling forwards, face-first into some magazines. Aurore went for her top and soon, the robber was hanging from a lamppost.

“Yeeeeeaaah, I think I’ll let the boys in blue handle this from here,” Aurore said giving the cashier a little wave. “Bug out!”

With a joyful cry, Aurore was soon swinging back over the rooftops to her home. Swinging in through the window she de-transformed and did a little spin, falling backwards onto her bed.

“See, I knew you could do it!” Pollen cheered. “You just had to believe in yourself. What did I tell you?”

“Yeah yeah, don’t rub it in okay?” Aurore snarked. “Being smug doesn’t suit you, like at all.”

“Hey, I was right wasn’t I?” Pollen said, buzzing about her head. “You just needed some of that Aurore confidence back!”

“It’s not the Aurore confidence I’m worried about anymore, actually,” Aurore confessed. “It’s the Chloe confidence. Did you see how Adrien called her out? While I won’t say she didn’t  _ deserve  _ it after how she nearly ruined little Mari’s fashion career before it even began…”

“You’re worried that she’s…” Pollen started with Aurore finishing for her.

“...Prime Amok bait?” Aurore nodded. While she didn’t  _ like  _ Chloe by any means, she was reasonably concerned for her. Reasonably and understandably concerned. After all, the last thing Aurore wanted was to fight another Sentimonster. If they could head this off before it even began, it would be truly Miraculous. To be honest, this had been bugging her all day, and it was only now that she got around to voicing it. “Yeah, it’s like that. Adrien’s her only friend, well her only  _ real  _ friend if you don’t count Sabrina. And now he may not even be that!” Aurore explained. 

“I… see.” Pollen said. She could see her bearer’s concerns. Chloe may have been a bit of a brat, but she still didn’t deserve an Amok. Nobody did!

“You think you might have gone to the wrong person?” Aurore asked and Pollen looked at her quizzically. Aurore quickly backpedaled to explain, so Pollen wouldn’t think she was back to doubting herself again. With a slight awkward nervous stammer, she said: “I mean, I’m perfectly fine with myself but Chloe? As much as I hate to admit it, she might have needed you more. Like someone to help her be a better person. Not someone who’ll just bow to her every whim like half the school.”

“Imagine that… me as Chloe’s partner,” Pollen mused. “Well, I mean I suppose it’s possible. I could give her that extra little shove that she needs. But yeah, I see what you mean. Chloe’s in danger of being Amokatized any time now. If not tonight, tomorrow or the next day. We’ll have to keep an eye on her from now on.”

“I’ll pass the word onto Marinette,” Aurore said. “For now, we watch and see what we can do…”

From the street, Fu watched. “I knew she had what it takes, all she needed was that little push.”

“And to think Master,” Wayzz said. “This time you didn’t even have to borrow Trixx’s powers and create a crisis!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #ProductiveBrick.
> 
> Listening to James Brown telling me to get up offa that thing may or may not have helped me to get out of my slump and write this thing. That's my story and I'mma sticking to it.
> 
> Quite honestly, I enjoyed this little chapter. Aurore... hasn't really gotten a lot of focus at times, and Pollen's been... just sorta there. Never allowed to really shine, which granted was something that happened in canon. Even Trixx got more character than Pollen, and he only appeared about once. Bit of a shame really, as Pollen's adorable! But yeah, Aurore breaking through her self-doubt pretty much mirrored me breaking through my little writing slump. If only I had a little bee on my shoulders eh?
> 
> Also, if I'm playing up Lila's sympathetic side too much, please do tell me. I'd really love to know!


	14. 14: Taking a Bite out of the Big Apple

Marinette’s day started with a text message. A very rapid-fire, urgent piece of text saying:

_ “Mari, get up. Now! Turn on the TV!”  _ came a message from Aurore, and Marinette let out a little moan before she fumbled around for the remote. On came the TV, and Marinette’s eyes widened in surprise.

On screen was Nadja Chamack reporting live from the Place des Vosges. 

_ “All of Paris celebrates today as the sculpture of Papillon and Honeybee is unveiled today, a monument to her loyal heroes. Designed by the sculptor Theo Barbot, it’s supposed to be quite a sight to behold, and this reporter plans to see it within the hour! Rumors say even the Mayor himself plans to attend the celebrations…” _

Oh. Oh right. That was a thing that had happened. It was a thing. She’d overhead Adrien mentioning it in class a few days ago, saying the BugOut Blog would be on the spot to report the news.

Another text.

_ “Please tell me you’re seeing this.”  _ from Aurore.

“I’m seeing this,” Marinette texted back. “I’m… yeah, I’m definitely seeing this. Like, oh wow…”

_ “IKR?”  _ Aurore texted back sounding over the moon.  _ “Seriously, like this is… yeah, this is awesome. See, people do care!” _

Marinette’s eyes were a little wet actually, like oh wow. She, not in a million years would have ever expected something like this! God, this was so different from being praised in the newspapers or talked about over a blog! A statue, an actual statue dedicated to her! Well, not her ‘her’ or just her but still!

Yeah… yeah, this was going to take some time to process.

Her eyes widened in realization. Oh crap, she was probably expected to be there, wasn’t she?

“...maybe I can just wish myself awake,” Marinette muttered. She needed her coffee for Kwami’s sake! 

Marinette chuckled, remembering last night. She and Nooroo had taken it upon themselves to get Nooroo up to date on pop culture. Aside from setting a large portion of Fullmetal Alchemist in front of Nooroo, one thing they had done was watch a collection of Disney films including Aladdin. Nooroo had ranted and raved at the errors, muttering to himself about how he’d suspected nobody on the film’s staff had ever met a  _ real  _ djinn and how nasty they really were.

It had been a little hard to enjoy the film after that. 

But yeah, statues. Just… statues. Did Majestia over in America have a statue dedicated to her? Did any of them? Marinette suspected they did. It was… yeah, it was kind of a weird feeling. She wasn’t doing this for fame or recognition, she’d just put the brooch on because she’d heard her city was in trouble.

It was an empowering feeling to know that the city cared  _ that  _ much about her helping it. Yeah, there came the wet eyes again. She felt so honored. The city wanted her to be their hero. Little, awkward and kinda clumsy Marinette from Collège Françoise Dupont in the 3rd arrondissement.

“Marinette,” Nooroo said kindly. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to…”

“No, I  _ have  _ to go, I have to be there,” Marinette refuted. “This statue…? It’s dedicated to both me and Aurore. Aurore’s undoubtedly going to be there, so I have to go as well. Hey Nooroo, just a question, but have any of your previous holders ever been recognized as heroes?”

“Not often, no. It’s the nature of the Butterfly’s powers really,” he admitted sadly. “They’re often the general in their tent, if you will. At times, nobody really knows they even exist outside of hushed whispers. It’s usually the heroes they empower that get all of the glory. You’ve made a few strides forwards in this regard, Marinette. Putting yourself out there, being open with your fellow Parisians about what you are and why you’re here. 

“Well now, that’s going to have to change isn’t it?” Marinette said and Nooroo looked at her in confusion. “I mean the recognition thing. I really should start helping out around the city more. Not just appearing to power someone up with my butterflies and all. Maybe I could help out with the soup kitchens and stuff. You know?”

“A really admirable goal, Marinette!” Nooroo praised, his wings fluttering happily. “I knew I saw something in you!”

Marinette smiled as she looked at the little butterfly god. She nodded at him, before crying: “Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!”

\------------

As Honeybee zipped from rooftop to rooftop, she couldn’t help but notice that she was feeling more spry than usual. She had still been thinking about the statue unveiling. She and her friend were, after all, being immortalised with this. She never thought that, in all of her life, that she would have ever had anything devoted to her; let alone a statue. Honeybee’s heart was skipping so many beats that, in her joy, she very nearly missed a step and plunged into the streets below. Fortunately, she was nimble enough to catch and save herself, though she tumbled onto the next rooftop on her belly.

At last, Honeybee finally approached the scene of the unveiling. Not only was there already quite a turnout, but it also happened to be just next door to Marinette’s family bakery. She stood in wait and watched for Papillon. It didn’t take long for her to spot her, as she too was secluded in the rooftops waiting for their moment.

Both heroes watched as a man made his way to the statue. He had very flat, short hair and a purple shirt on his chest. A small straw protruded from the side of his mouth. He watched as the crowd immediately took notice of him and stopped their chatter. They knew who it was. None other than Theo Barbot; the sculptor who had been contracted with creating the statue of Honeybee and Papillion that was about to be unveiled.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said simply once everyone’s attention was focused on him. “Today is a very special day. We’re here to celebrate and honour two of the newest heroes that have graced our humble little city. Two girls who—I’m sure you’ve all noticed—have gone above and beyond the call of duty and have saved our hides from many foul beasts. I am, of course, referring to the Honeybee and Papillon.

“Now, I’m certain that if the two of them were here to see this, that they would be very pleased with this. Not that I’m one to speak on their behalf,” Theo went on as he mosied over to the tarp and laid his hands on it. “But if they are here, watching over us, then I just want to say thank you both.”

“You’re welcome!” Honeybee called out as she zipped down to the site from her rooftop and landed gracefully on her feet. She waited to hear the gasp and cheers of the crowd to come and go before she went on. “Honestly, when I heard that there was gonna be a statue of me and Papillon, I just had to come and see it for myself,” she said as she turned to the crowd. “Hi, everyone! How are you all doing? Hope you’re having a great day.”

Papillon couldn’t help but grin as she from her spot looked down at the crowd and flew down on a swarm of butterflies to join Honeybee. For the second time in a row, the crowd watched as she landed with a gasp of surprise and followed up with more delight. Not one, but both of their heroes were here in person, ready for the unveiling. Papillon herself couldn’t help but blush at the audience of people as she sat next to Honeybee.

“Y-Y-You’re here!” Theo hadn’t been ready for this. He felt his adrenaline build as he watched the two heroes standing there before him. “This is awfully unexpected. I… I, well.” He tried to think of something else to say, but he was fumbling around with his words and couldn’t think of how to continue.

“You’re the sculptor, right? Theo Barbot? Nice to meet ya,” Honeybee took his hand and shook it delicately. “Looking forward to seeing what it looks like under all that tarp.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Theo.” Once Honeybee finished her handshake, Papillon offered her hand, which Theo took. “Whatever statue you’ve made, I’m sure that it’ll look amazing.”

“Y-yeah. I’m sure that it will…” Theo couldn’t keep his composure now that he was in the presence of the very people he had sculpted this statue for. He felt his knees go weak and the strength in the rest of his body fade away, but he still found some resolve left to stand up. “Actually. Since you’re both here, why don’t you do the honors? It is your statue, after all.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me. What do you say, Papillon? Wanna unveil our statue together?” Honeybee asked, smiling at her partner.

Papillon simply nodded and wandered over to the tarp.

“Alright! Looks like we’re in.” Honeybee added her own hands to the tarp, ready to pull at a moment’s notice.

“Ah, ah, let’s not be too hasty now!” said Mayor André Bourgeois. “First the speech!”

Both Marinette and Aurore shared a look and had to fight back an eye roll. Of course, rely on Mayor Bourgeois to turn this into a PR stunt. Natural politician, that man.

“First of all, I want to personally congratulate both Honeybee and Papillion for doing their civic duty by keeping us safe. In these wild and unpredictable times with Paon Bleu still out there, it feels comforting to know that we have a shield to safeguard us from evil. And what better shield is there against a supervillain than that of superheroes?” Andre started. And both Honeybee and Papillon -internally groaning- knew this would be dragged out for as long as Andre was willing to go. “After all that they’ve done for us, it’s only fitting that they get a monument to their many victories; a symbol for not only the both of them to look back on, but for us to use as a way to look forward; to be better than ourselves, and take each and every day with renewed vigor and pride.”

“...well, you can’t say he doesn’t know how to work a crowd…” Marinette said as she leaned over to her friend. In the crowd, she spotted Adrien with his phone out, presumably live-streaming the whole thing. She waved at him, with Adrien waving back.

Honeybee stood there, watching as Andre went on and on about this unveiling. Half of her was just tempted to pull the tarp off right now and give him a fright, but she knew that she had to wait. She was a hero, after all. And they had to have some form of civility. Still, having to hear his speech made her wonder how Chloe even survived with him as a dad; and made her believe why Chloe was the way that she was.

_ “Oh my god, does it ever end?”  _ she internally groaned, and looking to her left saw Theo fighting back a yawn, and checking his watch in impatience.

“So, without further adieu…” Andre finally finished as he cut the ribbon with a huge pair of scissors. “I declare this statue… dedicated!”

Theo, Honeybee, and Papillion pulled away the tarp to a chorus of ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahs’. It all fell to the ground and the statue underneath was finally visible to the public. It showed both Honeybee and Papillion standing triumphant with Honeybee making a sort of fist-pump, and Papillon with her hands on her hips. Both figures were made of marble and were a shade of gray.

Marinette took notice of… something. Again, she leaned over to her friend. “...Uh, I hate to ask, but… uh, do our builds look… heroic than usual?”

Honeybee nodded in agreement. “It’d take me hitting the gym for a solid month before I looked  _ that  _ good! Oh well, at least we’re not designed like Liefield would do us!”

“Uh, sorry about that,” Theo admitted. “I was only working with witness descriptions. I didn’t have you guys to work with as living models. I promise I’ll do better next time!”

“...least my chest’s still the right size…” Papillon said somewhat self-deprecatingly. 

“Well, a statue’s still a statue,” said Honeybee at last. “Plus, give this man some credit. He got us mostly right, even though we never really hung around to give him some time to help him out.” She gave Theo a pat on the back. “That’s pretty commendable, isn’t it?”

“And to think, today’s actually gone off without a hitch!” Papillon exclaimed.

\------------

  
What’s that about famous last words? In her house, Lila seethed as she watched the news.

“Now now, Mistress. It’s not as bad as it looks,” Duusu tried to reassure her. Holding up her hands in a defensive manner even as Lila whirled on her, she continued. “Who knows, maybe one day soon you’ll get a statue yourself! I know there’s a wax museum in Paris, who knows maybe one day you’ll get a statue there.”

“Nobody loves a villain,” Lila sighed. “You’re holding out hope, ‘Su.”

She gaped, tell her she did not just nickname her partner in crime. 

“Still, how come they get a statue devoted to the goody-two-shoes stuff that they’ve been doing and nobody gives a  _ cazzo volante  _ about me?” Lila snarled, her fingers coiling up into a fist. “Honeybee… Papillon… I don’t know what you’re planning, but you are not winning this battle. Not by a long shot!”

“Who says they’re planning anything?” Duusu asked with a tilt of her head.

“I… I don’t follow,” Lila admitted, pushing her homework aside for the moment.

“I think you’ve been at this for too long, if you ask me. You’re seeing plots where there are none,” Duusu said. “The hearts of Paris are with their heroes, it’s only natural that they would get praise for their deeds.”

“So, by that logic, I should get praise as well,” Lila said. “I helped shape them!”

“No,” Duusu said, feeling awfully brave, and Lila stared at her.

“No?” Lila repeated.

“No,” Duusu repeated sternly. “No, you’re just a girl trying to make up for feelings of inadequacy by lashing out at her new home, desperately trying to get her mother’s opinion. I know, I know. You want recognition, but I ask you. Is this  _ really  _ the way to go about it?”

“Well, oh so high and mighty envoy of the Peacock Miraculous, why don’t you  _ tell me _ what the right way is to go about it?! Since I’m obviously so weak and flimsy that nothing about me deserves any merit!” Lila hissed, glaring daggers into Duusu’s eyes.

“Hmm, you’re the daughter of an ambassador right? You know all the movers and shakers, I presume?” Duusu said calmly. “You could use your power and influence to help change the world. Which is really the most disappointing aspect of all this. You don’t  _ need  _ me and my powers to be recognized, though from the looks of it what you do need me for is guidance. Instead though, you latch onto childish ideals of good vs evil. Forgive me Mistress, but what happens afterwards?”

“Afterwards?” Lila asked.

“Afterwards,” Duusu repeated. “Say you do end up arrested, and your identity exposed. What then? You’d have lost all your friends and I doubt your mother would want to associate with you. She’d be running damage control and trying to salvage her career. Have you thought about any of this?”

Lila, for her part, was struck silent. No, she hadn’t thought about any of this. It was just day after day of attempting to get recognized. Did she have friends? Duusu sensed she had an opening and pressed her advantage.

“What about your friend, the artist? The redhead, you know him right? Nathaniel? You  _ like  _ him right? You want to be his girlfriend, isn’t that right?” Duusu continued to press. Lila said nothing, and Duusu knew she was getting somewhere. “Think about it, Mistress. If you were exposed as a terrorist? If you were exposed as Le Paon Bleu, Paris’ number one enemy, would he want  _ anything  _ to do with you?”

“No. He wouldn’t,” Lila knew all too well how humans worked. One had to know who they were lying to in order to lie to them. Nathaniel did look up to her not for her lies, but because he genuinely liked her. For him to see her as Paon Bleu, it would have broken her heart and left her in shambles. “But what do I do about it? Am I just doomed to be like this forever? Always in the shadow of someone else?”

“You’re only in someone else’s shadow because you allow yourself to be,” Duusu said. “This… It doesn’t have to be a symbol of hate and oppression,” She put her stumpy little hands on the Peacock Miraculous. “But as long as you do this Paon Bleu stuff for attention, that’s what it is. And it’s disheartening. Like, it really is. The Miraculouses were never made for evil intent, you know.”

“...you’re way too sappy, you know that right?” Lila asked with a small sigh.

“I’m a millennia-old goddess representing an abstract concept dear. Do you really want to argue with me?” Duusu asked. Lila stayed silent. “...no, I didn’t think so.”

Then, both Lila and Duusu gasped as on-screen both the Lady Papillon and her loyal partner Honeybee were teleported away in a flash of blue light. 

“...did you just see…?” Lila asked, looking towards her kwami.

“Same as you, yep,” Duusu said before fighting back a sob. “Oh, this doesn’t bode well. Not well at all!”

Duusu’s mind raced, how could both of the city’s top heroes be stolen away like that? An evil spell? But cast by whom? Lila had a different question, possibly a more important one. “But the question of the hour is… where did Honeybee and Papillon go?”

“I wish I knew dear, I wish I knew…”

\------------

  
“...what was that about a hitch?” Honeybee asked as the world resumed. Groaning, she picked herself up off the ground, and her eyes widened as she realized where she was. Car horns honked and chatter rose up from the streets. “Wait… Are we in—“ but all of a sudden, she was interrupted.

“Honeybee, Papillon,” came a voice and Honeybee looked up, her eyes widening as she gazed upon a golden-haired muscular woman in red and blue spandex. “So glad to finally meet you.”

“Who are you?” Honeybee was the first one to ask.

“Majestia?! I don't believe it... Majestia! The most powerful, most brave, and most incredible superhero ever!” Papillon squeed, and Honeybee and Majestia stared at her. Pressing her fingers together, nervously she answered: “...sorry, I’m a bit of a fan.”

“Majestia?” Honeybee parroted. She had to admit, she wasn’t as well-versed in foreign heroes as Papillon seemed to be. “Who is she, Papillon?”

Papillion let out a shocked gasp at that remark. “You don’t know, Honeybee? She’s only the most awe-inspiring superhero ever! She’s saved the world hundreds of times over before we even got our Miraculouses!” And she wasn’t slow on educating her partner in crime. “The meteor shower of 97? She stopped it from hitting Russia just as the rocks broke the atmosphere! Or the Floridian Cold Snap? Turns out, there was someone fully responsible for it and she took them out and saved the state from freezing!”

“Um… okay!” Honeybee said. “...and here I thought I was supposed to be the fangirl!”

She wandered over to the building’s ledge, and looked down. Aurore raised an eyebrow, last she checked New York, New York wasn’t supposed to have a giant crack running through the center of it.

“Whoa… What happened here? I feel incredibly sorry for the guy or girl who’s gonna clean it up,” Honeybee looked down at the crack in the ground. It looked manageable from where she was standing, but at these dizzying heights, small was natural.

“See, that’s our problem really,” came another voice and both Honeybee and Papillon looked to see someone in a trenchcoat walking up. “We’re kind of in a bind, and we could use the extra help. See, we tried summoning a few of the other heroes but Knightowl? Whenever we use the signal he unplugs his phone and skips town for a week. Super-Lemming? He’s in the hospital for throwing himself off a building without a landing strategy. And let’s not even get started with The Polar Bear and his ‘hibernation’.”

“You could do without the coat dear,” said Majestia. “Everyone already knows who you are. Your face is on every newspaper Camilla.”

Camilla sighed and tossed her coat off revealing her super suit, decked out in the reds whites and blues. Majestia facepalmed. “...and you could do without the mask Madam President, everyone knows who you are.”

“Lady Victory!” squeed Papillon. “America’s very own super fighter! Oh, oh, and she’s got the Freedom Shield! Look, Honeybee!”

“...I know, but I like the mask!” said Victory. “Gives me an aura of mystery.”

“How can you have an aura of mystery if everyone knows who you are?” Majestia asked in a deadpan tone. “We should call you Lady Dramatic.”

“Fine, fine,” Victory conceded and pulled the mask off, revealing her face to the girls. “Nice to meet you two. Honeybee and Papillion. You two look the part, but let’s see how you do in action.”

“What’s… what’s going on?” Honeybee asked. 

“We call it the Trash Kraken,” explained Majestia and gazed out at the city, where the sound of tank fire was audible. A bellowing echoed roar was soon to follow. “We don’t know what it is, or who even sent it, but it’s been burrowing through the heart of the Big Apple and absorbing everything in its path.

“Trash Kraken? Sounds like one of Paon Bleu’s Sentimonsters…” Papillon examined the damage. It was widespread and very sudden. It had to have been the work of a Sentimonster. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.”

“Yeah, we’ve got a knack for fighting these kinds of things now, don’t we, Papillion?” Honeybee slapped Papillon on the back reassuringly. “I think you called the right superheroes for the job, Majestia.”

“...I get the feeling they called us because they were desperate,” Papillon said realistically.

“Oh hush, let me have my fantasy!” Honeybee said practically on cloud nine right now. ‘We’re helping A-Lister superheroes! The freakin’ President of the USA!”

“They’re still desperate,” pointed out Papillon before looking at Victory with a pointed stare. “Also.. Super-Lemming?”

“Well, in theory who better to leap off buildings…?” Majestia shrugged. 

“How’d you even teleport us here anyways?” Papillon asked. “Magic?”

“Nope! Lint Warp!” Majestia replied in a cheerful tone.

“Lint Warp?” both Papillon and Honeybee asked blankly.

“Sure! It’s a good name, after all what do you first find in your coat pockets after you get your clothes straight out of the wash?” Majestia explained. “Lint! And how does it get there anyways? Therefore, we call the Watchdog Satellite's teleportation system… Lint Warp!”

Honeybee facepalmed. Were all American superheroes idiots? Papillon meanwhile was suffering a minor crisis of faith, given her eyes had been opened to how… odd her American counterparts really were.

All of a sudden, a roar echoed throughout the city and the building that the team were on rocked ever so slightly, but still to the point where all the heroes either took a knee or toppled to their bellies. Looking down at the crack, they could now see the Trash Kraken in all of its’ unholy glory, with its’ large, gooey tentacles covered in layers of protective trash, as what could only be described as a living landfill made up its head and face.

“...oh, that is  _ so _ wrong,” Honeybee said, feeling a bit sick. “...remind me never to litter ever again!”

Lady Victory stared at her, and Honeybee quickly backtracked.

“N-Not that I would ever do that, as that is wrong and a completely unheroic thing to do!” she quickly added.

“You think someone fell in a vat of toxic waste?” Papillon asked hovering above the crack on her swarm of butterflies. “...that’s how these things usually go right?”

“Oh no, that’s a cliche,” said Victory tossing her shield like a throwing star. “Falling in a vat of toxic waste just kills you.”

Her shield was swallowed up by the beast. She sighed to herself, she should have seen that coming.

“I’m just going to blame someone fiddling about in their lab,” Majestia said, firing her heat vision.  **ZIK, ZAK, ZARK! ** “That’s usually how it  _ actually  _ is. Remember kids, beware the slap of the other hand of science! It hurts!”

She was smacked into a building by one of the Kraken’s tentacles. “...and so does the tendril of pollution!”

Another tendril lunged at her, but was smacked away by Honeybee’s top. Majestia gave a thumbs up before firing scorching heat vision blasts - **ZARK, ZAK, ZIK!** \- at the creature. Some of the great landfill that made up it’s mass melted away, and Victory rushed in to grab her shield before slicing off one of the creature’s tendrils. 

Majestia lunged in and delivered several powerful blows to the beast.

“I'm about to write you a reality check. Or would you prefer the cold, hard cash of truth?” she called out.

As Papillon and Honeybee watched the two more experienced heroes go to town on the beast, they shared a look. “...you feeling like a second banana here or is it just me?”

“I mean, they called us here and they’re the ‘experts’ when it comes to American superhero stuff.” Honeybee shrugged. “Plus, if this Majestia is as good as you say she is, then why’d she even call us here in the first place?”

The Trash Kraken  _ punted  _ Majestia to the other side of the city.

“...well, that’s disturbing,” Victory uttered before she was smashed into the ground by a tendril.  _ “Owwwwwww…” _

“Okay. Now I don’t think we’re second bananas anymore,” said Papillion as she went to aid the now-distant Majestia. “I’ll be right back, Honeybee. You do what you can to keep that beast still. If you have to use Venom, use it well!”

“...assuming I’m not swallowed up into that thing,” Honeybee uttered as she helped Victory up. Handing her the shield, she asked: “So, question. Are your days usually like this?”

“No, usually they’re even worse! Ever held a campaign rally through the middle of an alien invasion of the Mantis Men from Mars?” Victory asked as she punched a tendril away. 

“Mantis Men from Mars?” Honeybee lifted a brow. “All we get back home is Paon Bleu and their Sentimonsters. Not extraterrestrial life!”

“Somehow I’d think I’d prefer the peacock villain and their kaiju!” Victory agreed as she tossed her shield slicing off more tendrils even as they grew back. She grabbed Honeybee and looked at her. “Here’s hoping all of those fastballs I tossed at Wrigley Field paid off!”

Honeybee was soon sent flying, having realized what her new partner was planning. She called out: “VENOM!”

Striking straight and true, she zapped the Trash Kraken in the forehead making it freeze up. Just in the nick of time as well, given Majestia showed up about then with Papillon in tow. Majestia pulled back her now glowing fist, and punched HARD before the whole landfill mass that was the Trash Kraken came crumbling down.

...and it covered the heroes in trash.

“Ugh, now I need a shower!” Papillon complained, her hair covered in gunge. 

“How am I supposed to host my re-election campaign looking like this?” echoed Victory. 

“So anyone want to be the one to wonder where this thing even came from…?” Majestia asked before she spotted something. “Hello, what’s this?”

She’d walked up to a squid toy that had been left in the mess, and noticed how it was covered in some strange black goo. Said black goo squirmed away and made a break for it.   


“Oh god, I’ve seen horror movies about things like that!” Honeybee squeaked as she watched it clamber upwards. Ignoring the beeping of her comb, she zipped up after it with the other heroes in tow.

The black mass clambered into a container, which was picked up by a guy with insane hair clad in a messy lab coat. He noticed that Honeybee had been a witness to his little plan and the smile that he had fell fast. He tucked the filled test tube of goo away under his coat and stood upright before the hero. “Oh dear. A witness. That’s not good for anyone now, is it?”

“Uh, witness? How about superhero, mister?” Honeybee chided as she put her hands by her side. She let out a yelp as the scientist pulled a laser gun on her.

Majestia stepped in front of her to block the laser blast, before she recoiled as the scientist produced a rock.

“Oh no, quartz!” Majestia shouted. “My one and only weakness!”

“...I thought it was library late fees?” Victory said as she came running up and launched herself into a flying kick.

“That too!”

An energy shield popped up between her and the scientist.

“So yeah,” Victory said as she began busting through the shield with her fists. “Definitely putting this guy amongst all the other mad scientists.”

“Mad angry?” Majestia asked as Papillon helped her to her feet. “Or mad crazy?”

“What do you think?” Victory asked.

“If you’re done with your prattling, I shall take my leave,” said the scientist. “And when I return,  _ heroes _ , trust me, you’re in for unimaginable pain and suffering, the likes of which you could never fathom even if you put your collective IQs together and multiplied it tenfold!” He threw himself off of the edge of the building, vanishing in a wave of aquamarine cubic light.

“Who was  _ that? _ ” Honeybee had to ask. Victory’s eyes narrowed.

“Professor Mindbender,” she growled out. “My greatest enemy! He’s the one villain who doesn’t just fight to stop me from eating mom’s apple pie, but stops me from petting my golden retriever as well!”

_ “The  _ Professor Mindbender?” Papillon gasped. “Wasn’t he the guy who turned the entire East Coast into bubble wrap because he felt slighted by the scientific community? Because they called him a mad man?”

“...he certainly sounds and looks the part!” Honeybee said.

“The very same. I’d remember the particle effects of those machines anywhere…” Majestia looked over the edge, down to the streets below. “And if Doctor Mindbender’s behind this, then there’s always worse to come. Honeybee, Papillion, I hope you’re ready to tango with a proper supervillain. Because this might get ugly fast.”

“Now I knew I was right to bring you girls in,” Majestia said. “Mindbender’s way too powerful for us to handle on our own, spread thin as we are. So, to that end, I have a question for you.”

She dug into her pockets and pulled out two rings. Papillon gasped. “No way! Those are… no, way, you’re seriously asking us to become…”

“How would you two girls like to become members -at least on a trial basis- of the Civic-Minded Society of America?” 

“Would I ever!” Papillon shouted, taking a few deep breaths. “Oh, oh, somebody catch me. I think I’m going to faint…”

“...We’re French, not American,” Honeybee said.

“Semantics,” Majestia said. “I’m technically Canadian!”

“French-Canadian, I hope!” Honeybee said.

Majestia laughed even as the two put on their rings.

“Doorman, four to transport!” Majestia said into her ring, and the world became a blue flash of light. And then the blue flash faded as all four found themselves inside a satellite. 

“I don’t think we’re in Paris anymore…” Papillon said, a little woozy from transport.

“You can say that again…” Papillon looked out of the nearest window that she could find. It didn’t take her long to run over towards it. And sure enough, she was right. There, beneath her, was planet Earth. She could make out both America and France straight away, along with the many other countries that made up their world. Suddenly, she felt so very small. “Hey, Honeybee? Have you ever thought about going to space before?”

“...let me get back to you on that,” Honeybee said, her eyes wide at all the superheroes teleporting in around her, all returning from various missions around the world. All of them dressed in different outfits, from spandex to mechanised suits, and even the occasional aura enveloping their bodies.

“Oh wow…” Papillon said her mind all a-whirl at the many other heroes around her. “That’s Supernova! And there’s Weather Man! Professor Poodle! Dragon Man! And there’s Doctor Prism! And Lady Evergreen! Uncanny Valley! And Sparrow! And there’s Pixie Girl! Hey, you think I can get someone’s autograph?”

Both Victory and Majestia shared a look, oh to be young again.

And that was when Honeybee heard something. The all-too-familiar beeping of her Miraculous winding down. She had used Venom, and now she had mere seconds before she transformed back into Aurore again. She let out a squeak of panic.

“I… I’ll be right back, I need to go use the bathroom. First room down the hall, right?” Aurore asked frantically. Majestia nodded and Aurore zipped off in a blur of motion. 

“...So just curious, but why haven’t you guys ever appeared in Paris?” Papillon had to ask. “I mean, you  _ know  _ Paon Bleu exists so…” 

“Well, think about it. You know what power they have right?” Majestia explained. “So think about it, if we were to send one of our more powerful heroes down to take Paon down and they made a Sentimonster from one of us…”

Papillon winced. “Yeah. Yikes. Thanks for the nightmares!”

Honeybee returned about then, her kwami fully recharged. “Yeah, what she said.”

“So which one of you’s the sidekick?” Majestia asked and both gave her a blank look. “What, it’s a classic hero thing. Hero has a sidekick, and the sidekick backs up the hero.”

“Excuse you, but I am nobody’s sidekick,” Honeybee said somewhat offended. “I am Papillon’s  _ partner.  _ We’re equals, nothing more and nothing less!”

“I dunno, at this rate you know who is going to wind up as our sidekick…” Marinette teased. “He’s helped us often enough! That’s twice he’s wound up with a Miraculous by now!”

“I’m sorry, but a Miraculous?” Victory asked in confusion. 

“Oh, they’re what gives us our powers. Think magical jewels like out of a classic magical girl anime,” Aurore explained. “My comb’s one, and Papillon’s brooch is another. Paon has one as well, one that they’ve… corrupted.”

“Oh, poor Duusu…” Papillon whispered hoping nobody had heard. Thankfully, nobody had seemed to.

“And just how many of these Miraculous are there?” Victory continued to inquire for the sake of curiosity.

“We’re… not exactly sure, honestly,” Papillon said. “We know there’s a few out there, but most of them are safe with the Guardian back in Paris!”

\------------

Master Fu knew what he had to do. With the disappearance of both Papillon and Honeybee, Paris had been left vulnerable. What if Le Paon decided to press home their current advantage? What then? He was too old to go back to hero work, at least full time.

So that left one option…

_ “New York was left in shock today as two new heroes appeared on the scene, helping both Victory and Majestia against the threat known as the Trash Kraken. Rumors abound that this creature was created by Professor Mindbender, though no official confirmation has been given yet. Who are these two heroes, and where did they come from…?”  _ said the newscaster on the nearby TV, Master Fu liking to keep up with current events. Had he been paying attention, he would have noticed who these two new heroes were. Mind you, he had other things to worry about right now.

“Do you swear to fight for justice, protect your city, and never let it fall into darkness?”

“I do, I promise you, sir, I won’t let you down!”

“Do you know the words?”

“Of course I do. Longg, Bring the Storm!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that happened.
> 
> First off, huge thanks to Shadowmane. Helped pick my butt off the floor and get this chapter into gear. Now, I know it's a very different chapter than the norm but that's the point. I wanted to change up the formula a bit. Do something other than the sentimonsters. 
> 
> So this happened, sorta an adaption of a Miraculous Adventures story arc but given my own flavor. Bit of a homage to The Tick actually. Not sure if I got that distinctive style of humor down, but I gave my all. Also, yes Duusu is playing fancy birb substitute mom with Lila. Not sure if it'll lead to a full-on heel face turn, but it's an interesting take at least in my mind. YMMV.


	15. 15: Stellar Nova

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so yeah. Sorry for taking so long on the second half. Had plenty of things going on in my life, not to mention other stories to update. But me and Shadow return, with a second heaping glorious amount of HAM.
> 
> Could it have been done without Shadow? Probably, but I wouldn't feel right otherwise if I didn't do it without him considering how much he helped on the first half y'know?

“This is a big table…” Honeybee uttered to herself, feeling it to make sure it was… actually, y’know, real.

“Well, welcome to the big leagues,” Victory said gesturing around her. Below them, a massive glass floor revealed the earth, the satellite a slow orbit around it and pointed directly down. Not for the first time, Papillon mused, she felt very small.

“So… This is space?” She finally summed up the courage to speak, as her hand drifted slowly forward. “Never thought I’d be all the way up here.”

“Well, congrats kid,” Majestia said, slamming a hand on her back, making Papillion cough and wheeze from the force of it. By the Kwamis, she was so strong! “You’ve earned it. You earned a seat at the big table. You helped us out with the Trash Kraken. And you’ve been defending Paris for about half a year now. You need to give yourself more credit, kid!”

“So what does your Miraculous actually  _ do? _ ” asked a hero dressed in bright red, with gold accents and a star on their chest. Supernova, Marinette remembered. Gifted the powers of the cosmos from an exploding meteorite. They had to wear a special suit unless they wanted to fry everyone with cosmic radiation. If it were ever to be ruptured… 

“My Miraculous?” Papillon asked, rubbing the brooch with the tips of her fingers. “Well, it’s a little bit hard to explain, but basically, I can send out these butterflies that turn ordinary people into superheroes.”

“Superheroes?” Supernova parroted, tilting their head to the side making their skin ripple. Marinette flushed, those muscles...

“It’s not exactly a permanent deal, though. Because the butterfly has to go into something that someone’s holding. And if that thing gets broken, they lose all of their superpowers,” Honeybee added. “Not to mention, people can only become superheroes if they’ve got positive emotions. Meaning, if they’re sad, angry, or freaked out, it’s a no-go for superhero powers.”

“They’re called Tenshi, named after the Japanese spirits,” Papillion added.

“Ja, now I remember hearing something about this!” came a Dutch-accented voice across the table, a man dressed in a red jacket and masquerade mask. A long cape flowed over their shoulders, with a top hat atop their head. Gentleman Thief, that was their name. Hailing from Belgium, it was said he was descended from the great Arsene Lupin himself. “But forgive me, ja, but should a little girl really be entrusted with so much power? What if you were to turn to darkness, or be corrupted or mind controlled? Who would be able to stop you?”

Papillon flinched even as Honeybee rose out of her seat in anger. Yes, what if? Marinette hadn’t actually  _ thought  _ about what might happen if she were to be mind-controlled or something like that. Turning evil willingly was out of the question,  _ obviously.  _ Could anyone even be able to stop her? 

“How dare you?” Honeybee hissed out and the room was filled with an angry buzzing sound. 

“That won’t happen,” Papillon clutched her hand as tightly as she could. There was no way that she could, no, it was impossible for her to turn evil. Nothing on this earth could have convinced her to turn to the dark side. After all, she was entrusted the Miraculous purely for the role of saving the world. What good would it be in her hands if she turned evil? “And can I just say, it’s  _ very rude _ for you to assume things like that. I would never turn evil, never!”

Papillon flushed, had she just chewed out a… like, had she just shouted at a world-class superhero?

“You must admit, it  _ is  _ a possibility,” said the Gentleman Thief. “With all the supervillains in this world? There’s always that possibility. Pixie Girl? She’s been mind-controlled twice!”

Said blonde flushed, her little wings sinking into her in embarrassment. Majestia tossed Gentleman Thief a glare, while Victory said: “Hey, lay off her.”

“What, I’m just being realistic here!” Gentleman Thief said, adjusting his mask.

“By realistic, you mean setting her up for a fall. Must you be so rude about it? Or does being an asshole come naturally to you?” Majestia remarked harshly. “These two girls are new to the superhero scene. Wouldn’t it be better to encourage them instead?”

“I’m sure they’ve got all the encouragement they need,” said the Gentleman Thief. “You may be the one to be idealistic and all, little miss, but in our line of work it’s not always so nice.”

“ANYWAY,” Victory cut through the conversation with her booming reply. “Doctor Mindbender was out there, using the Trash Kraken for something. We need to figure out exactly what he was doing and find out how to stop it. As you’ll all remember, whenever Mindbender manages to get his way, things end up going south in the blink of an eye.”

“Like the entire East Coast being turned to bubble wrap?” Supernova said. “Sure, it was  _ reversed _ but still.”

“He’s a madman, he wants to be recognized,” Victory continued. “From a young age, he’s always been spurned by the world. Oskar Schmidt wanted to be recognized as the genius he thinks he is, and is willing to do anything to get that recognition.”

“If I had a dollar for every time I heard that villain backstory…” Honeybee folded her arms. “I mean, let’s be real, it’s one of the most common cliches when making a supervillain, next to the whole ‘muhahahahahaha, I want to destroy everything you hold dear and rule in eternal darkness!’ kinda shtick,” She hadn’t even noticed that she had been doing a pose while doing her imitation. The other heroes looked at her, and she just blushed and giggled as her arms curled inward awkwardly.

“...oh like you’ve never done that…” Honeybee muttered to herself as she glanced around the room, the rest of the Civic-Minded Society of America sharing awkward looks.

“Should we really even have these girls on the team?” Gentleman Thief said to another hero, dressed like a plant complete with satyr-like horns sticking out of her head. Lady Evergreen, top superhero of Oregon. “They’re barely out of Collège, if that!”

“If they weren’t worthy, then Victory wouldn’t have scoped them out, right?” Lady Evergreen replied, stretching one of her arms out as vines coiled around it. “Trust in Lady Victory, Gentleman Thief. After all, you wouldn’t have been here if she hadn’t chosen you as she did these new heroines.”

Papillon sunk into her chair, they doubted her. Of course they doubted her. She could see it in their eyes. They were waiting, expecting her to screw something up so they could kick her off the team. 

“Yeah. Cut them some slack, why don’t ya?” Another hero spoke up in their gruff tone, with deep red scales across his body, twin demonic wings sticking out of their back. It was none other than Dragon Man; the champion superhero of Ireland. “They might look young and experienced, but it’s not the age, suit, or even the powers that make the hero. It’s what the hero does that makes them the hero.”

“You’ve been reading from Majestia’s autobiography again, haven’t you?” Gentleman Thief remarked. 

“What? It’s a  _ very enticing _ read. You should give it a once-over sometime yourself, Gentleman Thief. That is, when you have some downtime pilfering from those evil-doers you’re always hunting,” Dragon Man remarked.

“Pilfering is such an ugly word, I prefer the term ‘liberating’,” Gentleman Thief said. “Your funds have to come from somewhere right? Superheroing is fun and all, but unless you’re me, it doesn’t pay the bills.”

Again, Marinette had to wonder what she was doing here. Gentleman Thief was right, she wasn’t even out of school yet, and here she was up in space on a satellite with heroes far more experienced than her! Her heart rate began to spike, she needed some air. 

“Excuse me,” Papillon said politely, wheeling herself away from the table and managing to find a quiet spot away from the rest, in front of a big window that overlooked the planet below. It didn’t really help, as she could see the lights of Paris far below. She wondered, did her city even know she was gone? And what was Le Paon Bleu doing in her absence? Could she be using the time to make a new Sentimonster, even more powerful than the last?

_ “You’d think by now that I’d have gotten over this, this… self-destructiveness,”  _ Marinette thought to herself.  _ “But I’m terrified! I can’t even de-transform and talk to Nooroo like I normally do, lest I give away my secret identity!”  _

Taking several deep breaths, she looked out at the stars. God, there were so many… You couldn’t see them in Paris, not with all the other lights but if you went out in the country? You could see them for miles. Her maman and her papa used to take her, before the… accident. There was no way her wheelchair would be able to make it out in the country, no offroading for her, Marinette thought with a bitter laugh. 

“Hey, you alright?” a familiar voice came from behind her. Majestia. Marinette’s breath caught in her throat as she prepared to settle back into ‘Papillon Mode’ as she called it. “You looked pretty rattled back there…”

“...yeah, I suppose that’s one way you can put it,” Papillon muttered in confession. “Everyone’s expecting me to be something I’m not, this great superheroine. Part of the ‘next generation’. This guardian of Paris. But I’m just a normal girl with a normal life, right? Even if I’ve got a secret.”

“I… see,” Majestia replied. “Truth be told, Papillon, the hardest part of being a superhero is having to juggle your real life with your superhero life. Especially when everyone else wants so badly to know who you really are,” She took a step forward and planted her hand on Marinette’s shoulders. “Being a hero is a good thing and all, but once the mask comes off and the world knows who you are, life will never be the same again. For better, and for worse. But until that day comes, you just have to do what you can to keep it all under wraps. Once you get past that, the rest of it is a piece of cake.”

“Yeah, that… doesn’t really help,” Papillon said. “Like, gee thanks for the pressure.”

“Trust me, Papillon. I’m  _ horrified _ about what will happen when people find out who’s beneath the mask. The Jane, Lucy, Tallulah, or even Sadie that I am underneath is gonna be in a world of trouble once the world knows that she’s Majestia. Camilla’s got it so easy, everyone knows who she is,” Majestia said. “But do I give up because of the stakes? Do I just get worried and dwell on it? And do I let others take advantage of those worries? No, I don’t. And you shouldn’t either.” 

Majestia’s other hand went on Marinette’s shoulder. “After all, you’ve got Honeybee to watch your back as well. You can always rely on her whenever things go wrong, right?”

“Y-Yeah, I do,” Papillon admitted. Well, scratch one off of her bucket list. Get a pep talk from Majestia herself! “Thanks, I needed that.”

“Yeah, I could tell!” Majestia laughed and Papillion laughed along with her. “My advice, if you can, find someone who you can trust with your secret identity. Trust me, it helps. Is there anyone like that for you?”

“Yeah, there is. There’s this boy, Adrien Agreste?”

“The model? The guy who runs the BugOut Blog?” Majestia pondered.

“You know about that?” Marinette asked, and oh wow was Adrien going to be shocked that one of the world’s top superheroines knew about his blog.

“Yeah, I mean how’d you think I found you and Honeybee?” Majestia asked before noticing the look in Papillon’s eyes. “And yes, before you ask, I’ll sign something for your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Papillon squeaked out, her face flushing at the possibility. “Like, I don’t even like him that way!”

Majestia laughed. “Sure you don’t.”

They returned to the briefing table only for a transmission to come in. On-screen appeared Doctor Mindbender, or rather Oskar Schmidt.

“Greetings citizens of the world, this is Doctor Mindbender! You labeled my studies unorthodox, called me mad! You, the scientists of the world called me a madman and had me thrown out of the German Science Academy! Are you regretting your decision now? You’ve seen what I’ve done to New York! I can just create more monsters, unless you give me five billion dollars and you recognize my genius! Hahahahahahaha! So in other words, the fate of the world is in my hands!” Mindbender laughed. “Allow me to explain my plan, you see I can infect everyday objects with my Dark Designs formula, something I have spent years perfecting so I can show the world! The Trash Kraken was just the test run, a proof of concept if you will. Now what if I were to infect entire legions of tanks? I’d have my own army at my disposal. Even now, my team of top scientists work to mass-produce the formula! The only way to stop me are those five billion dollars. And if I see superheroes anywhere near my laboratories, well let’s just say we’ll see how you like it when the entire eastern seaboard comes under truly ancient fire and flame! You have one hour. Auf Wiedersehen!”

With that, he was gone and Victory let out a shout of: “Track that transmission!”

“Well, at least he has the evil laugh down right, it sounds pretty dope,” Honeybee remarked. “The rest of it, oh he sounds way too try-hard. Also, Doctor Mindbender? He doesn’t have super-hypnosis powers so he’s  _ soooooooo _ got the wrong name for himself. Let’s go with ‘Doctor Evil’. That sounds way much better.”

“That’s taken. Honeybee,” Victory pointed out.

“...it’s still a better name…” Honeybee muttered. “Way more charisma.”

“...it was also before your time…” Victory replied weakly.

“Is she always this irrelevant?” Supernova asked Pixie Girl.

“For the record, that’s a yes~!” Honeybee piped up. “Like a ray of sunshine, I bring light to your woes. The ‘sidekick’ clearly has to hog some of the snark right?”

“...you’re never letting that one go are you?” Pixie Girl asked.

“Nope!” Honeybee replied, popping the P.

“The Eastern Seaboard…” Papillon murmured to herself, rubbing her chin in thought. “What’s so important about it?”

“Aside from being a major shipping network? New York’s part of it, after all! As is Miami and Boston!” Victory commented before looking around, someone was missing. She sighed. “...predictable, Gentleman Thief is already gone. Well, brownie points for taking the initiative I guess.”

“...did you really just say brownie points?” Honeybee asked with a little look tossed skywards. “We seriously got to talk about that, girl!”

“But he named the Eastern Seaboard specifically, why that? Why not the Western Seaboard or the Hawaiian islands? And why did he say truly ancient fire and… Of course! The USS Constitution!” Papillon suddenly let out a cry. “The oldest commissioned ship of the line is still afloat! I learned about it in school just a few weeks ago! Thank you Ms. Bustier!”

“I don’t follow,” said Honeybee, scratching her head as she searched for answers.

“Don’t you see?” Papillon asked. “He means to turn it evil! Corrupt it!”

“That fiend!” Victory cried. “It’s a national symbol! We have to stop him!”

“Correction, we have to  _ find  _ him,” Majestia said, Victory deflating at this. “Oh relax honey, we should be able to track that transmission easily enough. Mindbender’s always been sloppy, since when is that going to change? He’s just suddenly not going to get clever on us now is he?”

Something had been nagging at Honeybee, actually, the more she thought about it. “Wait wait wait, back up this bus. ‘Honey’?”

“Um, yeah, we’re kinda married…” Victory admitted with a little flush. “I thought you’d at least guessed that…”

“No way…” Honeybee uttered falling back in her chair.

“Yes way,” Majestia replied. “Thing is, we’re kinda keeping it on the downlow. See, America’s ready to handle their president as a superhero. But not sure how ready America is to discover their president is a superhero  _ and  _ she’s gay.”

“But Gay Marriage was legalized a few years back wasn’t it?” Papillon said. “My cousin Marin, she saw it on the news. She was over the moon!”

Victory chuckled sadly. “Just because something’s legal, doesn’t mean change comes easily or quickly you understand…”

“No, I don’t understand!” Papillon said suddenly as the rest of the room watched this whole exchange like it was a tennis match. Pixie Girl, in particular, had pulled out a bucket of popcorn. “You’re the most powerful woman on Earth, you should be able to do this right? I-I mean, in a world of Mantis Men and magic and giant kaiju and mad scientists, two girls marrying should be something kinda normal in comparison right?”

“Oh, if only… But people are funny like that, really. It shouldn’t be weird or wrong to them but it is...” Victory sighed sadly. Personally, Marinette thought she was being a coward. Not that she’d ever voice this of course. But really, Victory was one of the most famous superheroes out there! If she and Majestia came out of the closet, it’d make some major strides towards gay rights! People wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore. After all, if  _ Victory  _ and _ Majestia _ weren’t afraid to be gay together, why should they be? Instead, it seemed like Victory was only worried about her poll numbers.

“Just know, if you ever decided to come out, I’d be the first to support you!” Papillon said, with Victory and Majestia sending her grateful smiles. “Me and Honeybee, and I’m sure we could get The BugOut Blog behind you!”

Victory chuckled to herself and shook her head sadly before replying: “We’ll see kid, maybe someday. Maybe someday…”

“Alright, then. Let’s go!” Honeybee gave a fist-pump. She was more ready for this than anything in her life. Well, as long as she wasn’t counting being handed her miraculous in the first place. “PREPARE FOR LINT WARP!”

\------------

We find ourselves in Boston just a few minutes later. The sun was still hanging over the horizon, painting the sky orange with its’ last rays of sunlight. The shadows from the dry dock elongated much farther than they should have, reaching almost towards the roads. Some large, metallic containers were being shifted around as the USS Constitution had been loaded up into the dry dock and lifted from the sea by a gargantuan metal frame.

Then, in burst Doctor Mindbender atop a massive monster clown which bristled with muscles, laughing: “No, I’m not clowning around! You all laughed when I said I’d make an evil clown, so now my evil clown will smash you!”

Then, he was promptly hit in the face by Honeybee’s trompo. 

“Yeah, no, we’re still laughing,” Honeybee said. “Also, by and by? Going through lint warp? I’ve never seen so much lint in all my life.”

A shield came out of nowhere and slammed into Mindbender’s mount, making it stagger. “Exactly, why do you think we keep calling it lint warp? It’s that fast!”

Atop a container was Victory, the shield returning to her hands.

“There you are.” Mindbender finally regained control of his noble—yet candy-coloured and maniacal—steed. “If it isn’t Majestia and Victory. But please, if you wanted to go fishing, this is hardly the time or the place for it.” He was about to laugh until he saw both Honeybee and Papillon with them. “And who are these two? We never really did introduce ourselves, did we?”

“Introduce ourselves? We’re superheroes, our reputation should precede us! Our teamwork is like a justice sandwich, no toppings necessary! ” Honeybee cried. “...also, dude, for a world-class supervillain, you should really turn on the news more often. Maybe a few more whacks to the face should jog your memory eh?”

“News? Not a chance. It eats into all of my hobbies. Mein garden, beer, novelist works, physio, metaphysics class, love for that one show about talking horses and plotting to take over the world, all in that order,” Mindbender said. 

“And how  _ do  _ you have time for super-villainy then?” Papillon asked. “Like…”

“YOU DO NOT GET THE HONOR OF QUESTIONING MY HOBBIES!” Mindbender roared, making Papillon wonder just who exactly did. “UNNECESSARILY RANDOM NINJAS, ATTACK!”

Then, from out of the shadows came ninjas, as Doctor Mindbender and his clown of death made their getaway towards the USS Constitution.

“Ninjas? It totally doesn’t even fit his theming!” Honeybee groaned as she just sped off into battle, batting away at the black-clad ninjas with her trompo. “I mean, get some freaks in lab coats or something. I mean, come on. Is his wardrobe really that thin?”

“Well, they  _ are  _ unnecessarily random ninjas…” Majestia said punting one into the sea. Nearby, Victory tossed her shield and it sliced through the air, smacking down several Unnecessarily Random Ninjas before boomeranging back to her.

Marinette just sighed, before calling out: “Butterfly!” and pointing her cane at a ninja as several hundred butterflies came out of nowhere, swarming him. 

Said ninja began sneezing up a storm, citing: “My allergies!”

Papillon just wheeled herself over to him, before socking him in the face. POW! Down he went. “...I don’t know if I should feel offended or not.”

Majestia was fending off a horde of ninjas. It wasn’t the way that they were attacking her that was causing her to struggle, it was the endless howling noises that the ninjas kept on making with each attack. 

“Please, stop!” Majestia barked as she threw the pile of ninjas that were flattening her away. “Ninjas do NOT make that noise. Ever! Their whole point is that they are silent assassins! Silent! You guys totally suck at being ninjas, y’know that?”

“So you’re saying they’re supposed to be silent but deadly?” Honeybee asked.

“...I think mass employed ninjas are supposed to suck in general dear,” said Victory. “You ever heard of the Law of the Conservation of Ninjutsu? Also known as the Inverse Ninja Law? See, if it was one ninja we should be scared, but this many?”

“Why should we be scared of one ninja?” Majestia asked. “I’d clobber him all the same!”

“See, I think the Law of the Conservation of Ninjutsu is bullshit,” Honeybee just said. “Dozens of minions should be able to clobber one hero into unconsciousness!”

“I know right?” Majestia said, tossing another ninja into a container. “It’s basic logic!”

“...so they doubly suck at their job?” Papillon said, whacking another with her cane before two more ninja leaped down to face her. “....you guys really wouldn’t hit a disabled girl would you?”

This only caused the two ninjas some confusion, as they began to argue amongst themselves as if they should. It got to the point where, in the end, they had to use some of their own men as debate podiums so as to look professional, when in reality, they had forgotten the reason why they were even fighting in the first place, and didn’t even bother to look back at the rest of their men squabbling with the superheroes in the background.

“I mean, should we?” said the first ninja. “She’s disabled!”

“Hello, we’re  _ evil.  _ We don’t care about things like that!” said the second.

“I know, but… there have to be lines that we don’t cross!” argued the first. “Like, I don’t know about you, but years on when we attend the henchmen’s guild and they ask us what our most evil act is? I don’t want to say it’s beating up a cripple!”

The second replied: “Hello, again we’re evil! We don’t care about common decency!”

“I know, but still! There are lines!” argued the first.

Of course, they’d spent so much time arguing, Papillon had just summoned another swarm of butterflies to carry them off into the sea. They were still bickering when the butterflies dispersed and dumped them into the water.

“Like, it’s basic henchman 101 to only exist to be wailed on by us heroes,” Victory argued back with her wife. “It’s rule number one!”

“We need a union!” said the first ninja who’d been dropped into the sea.

“And better medical care!” said the second. They were soon joined by the rest of their squad who Majestia rammed into like a human bullet.

“Oh yeah, I know, I’m awesome. No need to thank me,” Majestia replied as she took a bow. “I’ll send you autographs when you’re out of the hospital. ...wait, what’s your names again?”

“You seriously didn’t ask?” Victory replied.

“...I didn’t think henchmen had names, I thought they just went by numbers.” Majestia confessed.

“See, unions!” said the same ninja from before. He was promptly ignored as all of the other heroes chased after Doctor Mindbender. 

They found him on the deck of the Constitution, ready to begin corrupting it to his evil whims. 

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, you’re too late!” he cackled. “In just a few short seconds, the USS Constitution will become the USS Tyranny!”

“You foul fiend!” Victory cried.

“Why thank you,” Mindbender bowed. “As much as I’d love to continue this witty repartee, I have a nation to conquer! Time to change this great nation of yours from a democracy to a monarchy!”

“Always the tyrant, aren’t you, Mindbender?” Victory stood proudly and puffed up her chest. “Do you know why this ship is called the USS Constitution? Because it’s a living proof of the ideals that the American people strive for. Freedom, Equality, Liberty, it’s all represented and more with this mighty vessel. A true queen of the ocean. And if you think I’m gonna let you defile her decks of patriotism with your grubby hands of villainy, you’re dead wrong!” 

She threw herself at the ship, screaming at the top of her lungs, “FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Majestia watched with hearts in her eyes, while Papillon and Honeybee muttered in unison: “...Oh brother....” 

POW! Victory slammed a fist into Doctor Mindbender’s face sending him flying back, as he called out: “CLOWN AROUND!”

“...ugh, seriously, that’s the pun he chose?” Majestia asked as the monster clown reappeared. With a sigh, she flicked it in the forehead sending it flying up into space: “...and scratch one for genetic experiments that should never have seen the light of day. Honestly, when will they learn? Science is a tool that should be used for good, and never evil! Evil is just plain bad! You don't bow down to it. You gotta smack it in the nose with the rolled-up newspaper of justice! Bad dog! Bad dog!”

“You and your heroic speeches!” said Mindbender as he recovered, and the ship began to twist and distort beyond recognition. “No matter! Your ideals of freedom and liberty have already been corrupted! Break a bottle to your newest ship of the line, the USS Tyranny!”

From a majestic sailing ship, it had been changed to a ghostly haunt that would make the Flying Dutchman proud, complete with a screaming ghostly woman as its figurehead. 

“You fiend!” Victory cried. “That ship embodied the hopes and dreams of the American people!”

“And now it embodies my hopes and dreams!” said Doctor Mindbender. “Now, you can attempt to stop me, but would I ever make it that easy for you? The answer is NO! You see, my secret base in the Fatherland has just launched a missile, heading right for your nation’s capital! HAHAHAHAHAHA! All I have to do is pick up the pieces and soon the populace will cry out for me as their leader! And the best part? They will know  _ you  _ failed, Madam President!”

All four heroes' eyes widened.

“I hope to see you in for another four years!” laughed Doctor Mindbender as the USS Tyranny set out on its evil course. “Now, time to sit back and watch the fireworks. I’ve got bratwurst and sauerkraut!”

“That JERK!” Honeybee snarled as her fist shook vigorously, accompanied by the sound of her spandex tightening. “Majestia, Victory, what are we supposed to do?”

“I… I don’t know,” Majestia asked. “It’s already got a head start on us! I can’t fly fast enough to stop it!”

“...not right now you can’t…” Papillon smiled as she summoned a butterfly to her hand, before kissing it and turning it into a tenshi. “Majestia, how would you like to become my champion?”

“Your… champion?” Majestia asked, cocking a brow at Papillion. “But I’m already a superhero.”

“Always wanted to try this, but it should work,” Papillon said, feeling waves of hope and love surging off Majestia like a tidal wave. “Theoretically, my tenshis should work on anyone!”

“I accept!” Majestia said and then she felt new power wash over her as she began to blaze like a star. “But right now, My Lady? I’m no longer Majestia. Just call me Stellar Nova!”

With a loud  ** _BOOM! _ ** she rocketed upwards leaving behind a trail of flame and fire, stardust falling off of her like the new-fallen snow as she became a bright beacon of hope in the sky. Flying faster and faster, glowing like heaven itself, she soon caught up to the rocket as it neared Washington, and surged forwards. Punching straight through it, Majestia watched it explode in the sky above before shouting: “Looks like the 4th of July just came early!”

Doctor Mindbender had seen it as well, letting out a yell of: “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Curses! Damn you Majestia! Damn you Papillon!”

“Oh, so you do remember my best friend’s name!” Honeybee called out as she flew in on her trompo, zipping towards the ship. It aimed its cannons at her, fixated on her. Again, she threw her trompo, grabbing onto one of the masts dodging the cannon fire before saying: “Now I’m no Victory, but I can shout a good battlecry or two! Vive la France! VENOM!”

Slamming herself into the USS Tyranny, she actually managed to paralyze the  _ whole  _ ship. 

“NO!” Mindbender shouted before whipping out a laser pistol. He was soon drop-kicked to the deck by Victory. 

“And that’s one for Freedom!” 

\------------

Back aboard the Satellite of Justice, Papillon and Honeybee were celebrating. Doctor Mindbender had been foiled again—even if, to them, it was their first time fighting him—and they wanted to relish the moment.

“Like, oh  _ wow  _ I just fought alongside Majestia and Victory!” Honeybee said still on that emotional high. “Catch me Papillon, I think I’m going to faint!”

Papillon made a scoop with her arms to catch Honeybee in preparation for said faint.

“Congratulations girls,” said Majestia. “See, I knew you had what it takes to fight alongside us!”

“I was just complimented by Majestia, no I was just praised…” Papillon said seeing stars. “Forget you fainting, I think  _ I’m  _ going to faint!”

“Ah, to heck with it, let’s faint together!” Honeybee nodded, then let out a fangirl squeal with Papillion as the two of them collapsed in their chairs with a giggle and a sigh.

Majestia and Victory shared a little laugh, before Victory said: “Careful girls, we still need you conscious now!”

“She’s right, we’ve still got some awards to present to the two of you!” Majestia agreed. Both Honeybee and Papillon’s eyes popped.

“An award?” they asked in unison.

“Yep!” Majestia gave a nod. “After all, you’ve earned it.”

Victory reached into a nearby cabinet and pulled out a wooden box, before opening it -Papillon swore it was glowing- and pulled out two very distinguished medals. Honeybee’s breath caught in her throat. No way, those couldn’t be…

“And it’s on my honor as the President of the United States to award you, Honeybee, and you, Papillon, the The Congressional Medal of Honors of services rendered to this great country,” said Victory as a round of applause filled the room, the other heroes clapping and hollering loudly.

Gentleman Thief in particular tipped his hat. He, while the main four had been saving the US from Doctor Mindbender, had been ‘liberating’ his Dark Designs formula from his laboratories. 

“Be recognized!” said Victory as she pinned the medals to both heroes’ chests. “You’ve earned it.”

“Honeybee? Ya think they’re gonna believe this when we get home?” Papillon asked.

“I… I don’t know, I’m not sure I believe it myself!” Honeybee replied feeling the medal with her finger to make sure it was actually real. “Like, wow! Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor! God, I’m going to have to find some place to hide this from my parents! ...I wonder if we should tell Master Fu…?”

“Somehow,” Papillon said. “...I think he already knows.”

Then, they were treated to a series of congratulations by the rest of the heroes.

“Jolly great!” said Dragon Man, snorting fire. “If there’s ever a favor you need us for…”

“What he said!” said Pixie Girl. “You’re officially amongst the greatest of us now. If you’re ever in New York, go and give me a call! Magic-user to magic-user! I’d love to swap notes, really…”

“Now go and kick Le Paon’s ass for us eh?” said Supernova. “I’ve always wanted to go to France, especially now!”

Papillon was blushing under all the praise, while Honeybee was smiling like the sun. 

“You know, we could fix those legs and that spine of yours, Lady Papillon…” said Majestia. “I know a few scientists, and I’m sure they’d be all too happy to…”

Papillon’s jaw dropped. Fix her legs? Fix her spine? They could really do that? Well, she wouldn’t be lying if she hadn’t  _ thought  _ about that happening one day… But, all the same...

“No,” Papillon said.

“No?” Majestia asked.

“No, this is something I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life. I’m already learning to deal with it, I don’t want to be pandered to. I can still live my life, wheelchair or no. Not sure I would have been able to make a great Papillon with my legs. Master Fu, the Great Guardian of the Miraculous? He’d probably given me another power, and I also wouldn’t have met my best friend!” Papillon said, her words coming from the heart. She wasn’t sure, but she swore she could have felt Nooroo glowing with pride.

“Well, when you put it that way…” Majestia said. “You know, that took great strength for you to admit, you know that right? You’re truly an inspiration to us all, Lady Papillon.”

Again, Marinette had to try not to faint. 

“However, I stand by what I said,” Majestia continued. “If there’s anything we can do for you…”

Mustering up her courage, Papillon admitted: “Well, there actually is  _ something _ you can do for us...”

“Name it!” Victory said.

A few days later, back at Collège Françoise Dupont, before classes started Adrien seemed to be over the moon. Marinette honestly wasn’t sure what was up. Maybe his father had bolstered his allowance or something. Or maybe he was actually trying to spend time with his son… yeah, no, not likely. Not Gabriel. Adrien had probably just gotten a new camera.

“Marinette, did you see?” Adrien babbled. “Please tell me you saw!”

“Saw?” Marinette mumbled, still barely awake and having a cup of coffee in front of her. “...saw what? Adrien, I’m still way too tired for…”

Then she saw Adrien’s expression, looking like a kicked kitten. Her heart melted.

“Oh fine,” she grumbled, taking a sip of her coffee. “What is it you want me to see?”

“This!” Adrien cried joyfully as he placed his phone in front of her. Marinette squinted her still tired eyes at the news report displayed on screen. And then they widened. 

_ “My name is Camilla Hombee, but you probably know me as Lady Victory,”  _ said the woman having called a presidential press conference directly from the White House and as Majestia walked on stage? Marinette’s mind went into abject shock. No fucking way… Surely she couldn’t be doing what Marinette thought she was about to do. Then, Camilla and Majestia kissed.  _ “And this is my wife, Majestia.” _


	16. 16: Rossi VS Bourgeois

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, if you want me to be honest?
> 
> I needed a break. Like, I needed to step back and rethink a few things. 
> 
> But, I'm back, and I have at least an idea for the chapter after this and a few others. I just need to organize them in a logical way. But trust me, I've got ideas flowing now! None of them are as probably as crazy as the last two chapters, they're actually pretty restrained but I do know where the plot's heading. More at the ending notes.

Cold, wet, and rainy. Another day in paradise, Adrien mused sarcastically to himself as his car pulled up to the school.

Popping open his umbrella, he gazed up at the gray skies and sighed as the rain pitter-pattered down on his umbrella. Well, at least the weather got him out of modeling today, though that meant knowing his dad, he’d be pulling double duty later this week.

Sometimes he swore his dad was pure evil.

Oh, he cared, he honestly did, but sometimes…

“Dudddddde,” Nino said, waving a hand in front of his face and snapping Adrien back to reality. “If you stand out in the rain any longer, you’re going to get a cold!”

“Oh, right… sorry,” Adrien apologized. “Just lost in thought for a moment…”

“Dad getting you down?” Nino asked and Adrien nodded. “Man, I swear, he’s like a slavedriver! Maybe he’s a supervillain in disguise or something…”

“He’s not  _ that  _ bad,” Adrien replied. “He lets me blog, right?”

“Yeah, but he’s treating you like a workhorse,” Nino argued. “You’re a human being, you’ve gotta eat. I swear, if we ever brought you home to my mom’s, she’d seriously stuff you. You’re thin as a rake, man!”

“Models have to look a certain way, it’s just the way it is,” Adrien shrugged as they walked to the school. “It’s a necessary evil, just something that comes with the job y’know? We all have to have certain diets.”

“If you say so, man…” Nino shrugged before asking: “Hey, did you see what happened in New York? You are blogging about that right? Like, what are Le Papillon and Honeybee doing all the way in America?”

“Expanding their franchise?” Adrien joked.

“Oh man, if they’re getting noticed internationally…” Nino theorized, never noticing the nervous little look Marinette sported as she wheeled herself by, the bluenette pulling a face. 

“Well, I say good for them!” Adrien said, having noticed Marinette’s expression and tossing her his best Winning Model Smile™. Marinette smiled sheepishly back, never actually noticing the other girls around her taking notice and either fainting in shock or tossing glares her direction.

“Oh, should warn you, Chloe’s been on the warpath while you were away in Italy for Fashion Week,” Nino stated seriously. “Apparently, she did not take losing your friendship… well.”

Adrien sighed, worrying this would happen.

“She hasn’t been bullying Marinette has she?”

“Well… no,” Nino stated. “Apparently it has something to do with her own weird standards, but… anyone else is fair game. Like, if she finds a target to latch onto… Poor Nathaniel. He’s barely said a word all week. ...which, granted, is him in general but Chloe’s spooked him pretty badly.”

Adrien sighed again.

“I’ll have a word with her,” he ruminated. “She’s got to learn she can’t get her way all the time.”

“Hah, good luck,” Nino said. “Oh, I gotta go. My girl’s going to be pissed if I’m late for class. Said to me she can’t be dating anyone tardy.”

Adrien blinked as his friend ran off, wait what? Since when did Nino have a girlfriend? Wow, a lot  _ had _ changed while he’d been away!

“You know, this is really your fault,” Lila said, leaning up against a wall and running a finger through her hair. “If you hadn’t dumped Chloe like that, well, she wouldn’t have turned on the rest of us!”

“Well, what was I supposed to do Lila?” Adrien asked with a frown. “She tried to disgrace Marinette! We all saw it!”

“Yes, but you should have been nicer about it,” Lila returned. “She’s humilated, don’t you know that?  _ You  _ dropped her in public in front of your father and everyone else… Why, if  _ I  _ was in her position, I would be so mad…”

“So what should have I done?” Adrien asked. “She almost ruined Marinette’s fashion career before it even got started!”

“Oh Adrien, you silly boy,” Lila sighed. “You still haven’t figured it out yet, have you?”

“Figured out what?” Adrien asked, blinking in confusion.

“My point exactly,” Lila huffed before shrugging. “Oh well, it’s really your funeral when the rest of the class realizes it’s  _ your  _ fault that Chloe’s acting the way she is…”

With that, she walked off. Adrien was way too easy to use. She had his father to thank for that, really. With the way he was, he really hadn’t picked up on a lot of social cues.

Granted, he was getting better now that he’d spent enough time around that idiot DJ friend of his, not to mention Marinette and Aurore. Soon, she mused, if she was going to make her way to the top, she’d have to dig in her heels and start really getting her claws into him. 

She stopped, momentarily disturbed by that thought. Was she really going down  _ that  _ line of thinking? Now, she may have been many things, a liar, a manipulator, a guilt-tripper, and a supervillain, but a prospective rapist? No, that was going way too far.

All the same, she’d have to work harder from now on to really get Adrien doing what she wanted. 

It boggled her mind how easily used some people were. Sometimes, all Lila had to do was tell them what she knew they really wanted to hear and then they were under her thumb forever. It almost disturbed her how stupid some people were. 

She could have had this whole class in the palm of her hand if she wanted to, and for whatever reason she’d opted to not do that. She could have easily have become the new queen bee with a few tall tales here and there. Granted, eventually, people would grow some brain cells and actually look up her stories and maybe they’d disapprove them or maybe not. But for a time, Lila would be the queen of the class. 

Chloe made things way too easy, really. Her holier than thou demeanor, wanting everyone to lord over her, ironically made her the ire of everyone who knew her. Even Adrien in the end. The sweet, innocent, Italian transfer being bullied by Chloe and then standing up to her? Well! Things had worked out even better than she would have imagined! She honestly had to thank Chloe for being the way she was, otherwise she might not have had a chance in the world.

Of course, if Marinette wanted, she could have easily taken her place. She was already the class sweetheart. Star designer on the rise, and baker to boot! Plus, she had that whole cripple thing going for her. Why Marinette didn’t try and run the class was still beyond her really.

She was already doing a damn good job of it.

\------------

Contrary to popular belief, Marinette loved the rain. She’d been reborn in the rain.

She’d gained a new outlook on life that day, and a new type of fashion to design. 

She’d met her best friend in the rain.

The rain had always been… calming for her, the gentle pitter patter of raindrops atop the roof of her house or on her window. It made a nice ambient sound, perfect for drifting off to sleep while doing some late night final touches on a design.

Nooroo disapproved, but the life of a fashion designer on the rise always required some sacrifices. 

And she’d actually had a bit more time to work on them lately, given for the past week there hadn’t been a single sentimonster. Marinette knew she should be worried, like maybe Paon Bleu was planning something big but… she’d actually felt relieved. She had a chance to be herself for once, actually get back to doing what she really loved. 

Ever since this whole mess started, Marinette had been afforded less and less time to actually work on her pockets of inspiration. For a month or so, her sketchbook had just sat in her closet gathering dust. For a month or so, she’d been legitimately angry that damn peacock was keeping her from her true passion.

Shoving down a shot of coffee, she waited for class to start. She was actually early today, imagine that. Amazingly, the one good thing all of this had done was made her more punctual. If she didn’t crash late at night, she could wake up earlier and actually get some stuff done and make it to school on time. So, cheers for Le Paon Bleu giving her a proper sleep schedule!

Not today, Satan, she told herself. Not today.

She would get all of her schoolwork done, and actually work on some of her projects.

Amazing what some actual hours of sleep and some punctuality did for one’s self-confidence, she mused.

Taking another shot of her coffee, she frowned as she turned to look at Chloe badgering poor Nathaniel. She’d been especially nasty lately, and Marinette could guess why… God, what a brat! Right, mental note, never give her a Miraculous as it’d turn out horribly. 

“So what, you’ll draw everyone else in the class but you won’t draw  _ me _ ?” Chloe sneered, poor Nathaniel trying to make himself as small as possible. 

“Leave him alone Chloe,” Marinette said, wheeling herself over to the duo. “Besides, I’m not sure any amount of work Nathaniel would pour into designing you would ever make you look good.”

Alix let out an  _ “Ooooooh!” _ from her spot in the classroom. 

Chloe ripped her sketchbook from his hands and began flipping through it.

“Look at this, like Super-Nathan?” she said, showing off his designs of him as a superhero. “Like, egotistical much? I know you got chosen by one of Papillon’s tenshi, but let it go!”

“Oh hush, like you wouldn’t do the same if Papillon chose you!” Marinette put in before adding to herself:  _ “And she most certainly will not be after today!” _

“He’s drawn  _ you  _ Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe sneered, shoving the sketchbook in front of Marinette’s face. “Aren’t you even slightly weirded out about any of this?”

She studied the drawings, mostly depicting her being saved by ‘Super-Nathan.’ She blushed, realizing what this must have meant and nearly swelled up like a balloon in fury. Trust in Chloe to expose someone’s crush in front of everyone else! Okay, so yeah, Marinette was drawn slightly… better than she was in real life in Nathaniel’s art style. She would admit to being a little bit stunned, -flabbergasted, really- and maybe a bit angry at the same time but mostly flattered by what Nathaniel thought she should look like. But all the same, he didn’t deserve any of this!

“Flattered, actually…” Marinette mused aloud enjoying the look of shock on Chloe’s face before smiling sweetly at Nathaniel. She said kindly: “I’m sorry about her, Chloe’s just being a brat. Ignore her, her ego could fill up the Hindenburg.”

“Are you saying I’m all hot air?” Chloe shrieked.

“Well, no, but  _ you _ just did…” Marinette drawled before taking a long slow sip of her coffee. 

Chloe let out an  _ “Aaaaaaaagh!” _ before tossing Nathaniel’s sketchbook at him and stomping off as a few of the other students clapped at the class’s queen bee’s wings being clipped slightly.

“I’m sorry about her,” Marinette signed.

“You’re… you’re not mad?” Nathaniel asked. “I’ve been drawing you for months, breaching your trust!”

“Okay, I admit I’m maybe a little mad, but… mostly flattered. I’m actually kinda amazed anyone thinks of me in  _ that  _ way. Most people, they don’t give me a second thought,” Marinette admitted. “To them, I’m just the cripple to pity or that baker’s daughter from down the street. I’m just… there.”

“Then they don’t know what they’re missing,” Nathaniel complimented. “You’re a good friend Marinette, anyone can see that. I know you probably don’t think of me that way, so if you want, I’ll stop drawing you like that.”

“No, you don’t have to. And maybe I don’t think of you like that, or maybe I do. I’m not sure yet,” Marinette shrugged. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out. And even if I don’t? I’m  _ certain  _ that out there somewhere? There’s someone who would like you for you Nath. And hey, keep drawing. You’ll make a career out of it some day, I know you will.”

Nathaniel’s smile practically lit up the room.

“You’re way too nice, Mari,” Lila remarked. “I’d have chewed him out for that.”

“He didn’t mean any harm by it,” Marinette frowned. “Besides, he was already feeling bad enough thanks to Chloe. Why should I push any more crap on him?”

“If you say so…”

Class went by as normal, and when lunch came, Lila took her chance.

“You know, it’s  _ Adrien’s _ fault that Chloe’s been as bad as she is,” she remarked to her friends. “I mean, think about it. He could have put his foot down long ago. But no, he stood by and enabled Chloe to just grow more and more out of control! He  _ let _ her do all of that!”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Alix disagreed with a small frown. “Adrien’s only been at this school for not even a year!”

“All the same, he could have stopped her before then!” Lila pointed out. “But he just stood on by and practically watched as Chloe grew more and more out of control!”

“Yeah, he did…” Marinette murmured to herself, and unseen, Lila smirked. Already, the first seeds of doubt had been planted.

“Doesn’t that strike you as odd?” Lila went on. “Like…”

“Lila, we’ve been over this,” Marinette sighed. “You’ve seen what Adrien’s father is like. Yeah, I respect Gabriel for the things he’s done in the fashion industry, along with what he did for me, but all the same… he’s pretty controlling don’t you think? He doesn’t seem to let Adrien make any friends. Chloe was probably the first real friend he had…”

“Yeah, emphasis on was. Adrien was probably scared of losing her,” Alix pointed out. “And can’t say I blame him, given how she reacted when he told her off.”

“That was… messy,” Nathaniel remarked, before going back to his sketchbook. He frowned, why was Lila so keen on trashing Adrien when he’d been nothing but nice to any of them? Of course, maybe it was possible she only saw him as ‘Chloe’s friend’ but all the same…

Should he speak up?   
  
Did he have the right?   
  
Marinette seemed to be handling it pretty well, wasn’t she?

Maybe he shouldn’t say anything.

“Oh, totally. Like, ouch,” Alix agreed. “Did anyone else feel incredibly awkward watching all of that? Or was it totally just me…”

Marinette pulled a face, before frowning. “I know Chloe’s a terrible person, but…”

“Oh, don’t tell me, you felt bad for  _ her _ ?” Alix asked. “You saw how shitty she was treating Nathaniel this morning!”

“Well, no I don’t feel bad for  _ her  _ but I feel bad for Adrien…” Marinette mused aloud. “Like, Alix, imagine if I was your only friend. Then imagine if we had some nasty falling out.”

“I… uh, yeah, I see what you mean,” Alix admitted. “God, I can’t imagine what Adrien’s got to be going through right now.”

“Yeah, none of us actually like Chloe, but let’s be nice about it to Adrien okay?” Marinette said, taking a bite of her sandwich. “Like, he’s got to be going through a lot right now!”

Lila huffed. As ever, Marinette was the perfect angel. The girl didn’t even seem to have a mean bone in her body, even when it came to Chloe. Whenever they argued, or had it out, Lila  _ swore  _ she detected a faint note of pity in Marinette’s eyes.

Because  _ of course  _ Marinette would pity even the bully. Why wouldn’t she? She couldn’t hate anyone. Even if she very logically should.

Like, what the hell was wrong with her? People were stupid, they were always selfish and along came little miss sunshine with the idea that everyone could be redeemed or that everyone had good in them.

It made Lila sick.

Hell, she was half tempted to transform into Le Paon Bleu right here and right now just to prove her wrong.

How she’d enjoy the look of shock on Marinette’s face when she found out her best friend was in reality Paris’ worst enemy. Wouldn’t that be nice? It’d be the ultimate slap in the face for Little Miss Perfect here.

She was the idol of the class, she could do no wrong. It was like she was freakin’ Le Papillon as just a normal teenage girl.

Great, the urge to create a sentimonster with Duusu’s power simply to let off some steam was just growing by the minute. 

She had to get out of here. Excusing herself, Lila raced into the bathroom and pulled out Duusu’s brooch. 

“Oh no…” the little kwami sighed, knowing exactly what this meant. “Don’t tell me. Really Lila? You’ve been such a good girl this past week and a half! Not even one Sentimonster! Not even one!”

“Yes, but…” Lila sighed. “Little Miss Perfect out there is really driving me up the wall! She doesn’t even hate Chloe, who’s been apparently bullying her for years!”

“So what will this prove?” Duusu asked, the little quantic goddess crossing her arms. “What, that you’re not as perfect as her or something? Okay, we already figured that out. You’ve demonstrated that  _ quite well _ , I dare say!”

“Why you…” Lila grumbled.

“Look, just let it go Lila,” Duusu sighed. “If we were to create a sentimonster every time something irked you, neither of us would be able to get any rest!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lila almost snapped.

Ignoring her, Duusu went on. “I actually need to rest, a lady needs her beauty sleep after all, and I can’t work with you creating a sentimonster every time you’re ticked off. So… just… let it go. Like Frozen.”

“...please tell me you really didn’t just quote that movie,” Lila sneered in disgust.

“I like musicals, so?” Duusu shrugged, before Lila sighed and put the brooch away with Duusu vanishing back into it. When she emerged from the bathroom, she saw Adrien talking to Marinette.

She seethed, of course she’d attract the fashion model. So wonder what this was about?   


Oh well, no sense standing around like an idiot. Might as well find out for herself!

“Lila!” Alix exclaimed excitedly “You should have been here, Adrien here just  _ commissioned  _ Marinette!”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just need a new hat for this winter, that’s all,” Adrien said, his hand behind his head and running it through his hair. “It’s nothing to get excited about…”

“Uh, dude, you’re a  _ fashion model _ asking an up and coming designer to do you a hat,” Alix explained, laying it out for him. “Pssssft, sure, nothing to get excited about. And I’m Jagged Stone! Dude, if people see you wearing this hat, a Marinette Original™ and you say where it’s from…”

Marinette squeaked as she realized and made a sound that might have been: “Oh god!” though it was really hard to tell.

“She’s right, you know,” Nathaniel commented. “Adrien, are you sure you’re not doing this just to get Marinette noticed?”

“Well, no! I need a new hat, and Marinette’s one of the only people I know who makes them,” Adrien denied.

Alix and Nathaniel shared a look of disbelief. They both knew Adrien could just grab a _Gabriel_™ brand hat from his father’s collection.

“Either you’re in serious denial, Agreste, or you’re just that humble…” Alix decided with a shrug. “Not sure which is which yet.”

Lila wanted to scream, why couldn’t Adrien commission  _ her  _ for a hat? She could sew!

Today was officially the worst!

\------------

“Good work Marinette!” Nooroo praised, clapping his little hands together. “See, what’d I tell you? That if you kept working at it, you’d go on to do better and brighter things! And now look at you, commissioned to do a hat by Adrien!”

“I know, I know!” Marinette nearly squealed. “But this is  _ Adrien Agreste!”  _

“So?” Nooroo asked.

“His father is _Gabriel Agreste_, head of the _Gabriel_™ brand! If I do this right, Gabriel’s going to notice me! If I screw this this up though, it could ruin my chances of being in the fashion industry fooooooooreeeevvvvveer! I’ll stay a nobody, I’ll die alone without any friends and Gabriel will pick someone else up and Adrien will say that they’re much better than that pathetic nobody Marinette! My life will be ovvvvvvvveeerrrrr!”

Her head slammed into her desk, and she let out a low whine. Nooroo patted her on the back sympathetically, letting his partner have her little freak out before she stopped to catch her breath.

“Hasn’t Gabriel already noticed you?” Nooroo pointed out. “With that little hat you made for that competition at school?”

“Yeah, but… this is something else! This is a commission Nooroo! A  _ commission!  _ This is so much bigger than a school competition!” Marinette said exasperatedly. 

“They seem pretty much the same to me…” Nooroo mused aloud. “A hat’s a hat!”

“No no, you don’t get it,” Marinette explained. “I’m already on Gabriel’s rader now, I mean I hope I am! He knows who I am! I have to work harder, do better this time around! People will be seeing Adrien wearing this hat in public! This isn’t just for a one time thing, a photoshoot! This is his daily wear! People will be asking questions about where he got it! Oh… oh my god, they’ll want copies of their own! I  _ have  _ GOT TO do this right!”

Grabbing her sketchbook, she began flipping through it, and looking for a new page to began work on.

“We need to be off to our Secret Garden of Inspiration, Nooroo!” Marinette said, grabbing her umbrella with the little kwami flying into her purse. “Marinette, away!”

Nooroo peeked his head out from her purse.

“You know, there is a faster way across the city…” he said with a little smile as Marinette texted her parents, telling them she’d be out for a while. “Normally, I’d discourage this but… It’s all for a good cause right?”

“Oh, you’re right! Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!” Marinette called, and out the window she flew on a swarm of butterflies. The rain didn’t seem to touch her, like it passed right by her. She didn’t know how to describe it, really. Magic did as magic does, really.

Actually, Marinette decided that her usual spot wouldn’t do today. She needed to be  _ truly  _ inspired, and so to do that, she needed to go to one of the most wondrous places in Paris.

To the 6th arrondissement she went, to the Jardin du Luxembourg.

Marie de' Medici, the widow to Henry IV and current regent to Louis XIII had ordered this place constructed in imitation of a palace back in her native Florence. Over 2,000 trees had been planted, a fountain and palace commissioned to Salomon de Brosse and the famous Jacques Boyceau de la Barauderie, who worked on royal gardens of Tuileries and the early garden of Versailles even had a hand in this place. 

It was magnificent, with long sweeping paths cutting through the gardens and plenty of shade for her to work in peace. Landing in the trees, where she was sure nobody was watching, she canceled out her transformation and found a spot to get to work. Thunderclouds rumbled ahead, even as the rain stopped for a time, and the sun was beginning to finally peek through the skies of gray filtering in through the heavy greens of the trees above her. She let the sun wash over her, and settled in for a few hours of sketch work.

“Okay, so no pigeon feathers,” Marinette reminded herself as she sketched a few base designs. “Anything else is fair game. Okay, so winter in Paris is  _ beyond  _ cold so we need something warm. Wool, or something with sheepskin. Wool’s better, cheaper to get my hands on and I won’t blow my budget. My parents would literally kill me if I blew my allowance on just one of my projects.”

“I wasn’t aware that the guillotine had been brought back…” Nooroo mused.

“Wha… no! It’s just an expression!” Marinette gaped, rather horrified. “And what about  _ any  _ of that implies the guillotine?”

“Well, it’s apparently the standard method of execution in France from what I’ve read…” Nooroo remarked.

“Yeah, it was hundreds of years ago!” Marinette exclaimed. “And besides, it was just an expression! My parents wouldn’t literally kill me if I blew my allowance on clothing materials!”

“Oh, I see,” Nooroo replied. “I can imagine, though, Pollen wishing the guillotine was brought back. She’s not too fond of Chloe from what I hear…”

“Not even Chloe deserves that!” Marinette gaped. “Yeah, sure, she’s the cream of the crap, putrid of the pedestal, but  _ execution _ ? Are you sure some of you aren’t little psychopaths on the side?” she teased him.

“No, Pollen’s just… special,” Nooroo admitted. “Though, Plagg on some days could really give us all a headache.”

“Oh, he’s like that is he?” Marinette said. 

“Plagg’s… well, Plagg. No other way to describe him really!” Nooroo shrugged, before rubbing his temples. “Yes, him, I can easily imagine wishing the guillotine was brought back. Yes, I wouldn’t be surprised if Joseph-Ignace Guillotin was a Black Cat.”

“I’m both amazed and disturbed you know who that is,” Marinette blinked. “And now I’m both amazed and disturbed who  _ I  _ know who that is. I blame Jalil. But yeah, no killing people with guillotines,  _ though  _ I wouldn’t be remiss to admit to me wanting to see Chloe tarred and feathered…”

Their laughter carried on the wind.

\------------

“I heard you commissioned Ms. Dupain-Cheng for a hat, was it?” Gabriel remarked as soon as he saw his son. “You know, I have quite the selection of hats for the winter months. If you had said something, I would have gladly…”

“That’s just the thing Father,” Adrien said politely. “I know you have a bunch of hats from me to choose from, but it’d just feel like I was a walking advertisement for your brand.”

“And if you commissioned Ms. Dupain-Cheng for a hat, aren’t you advertising  _ her  _ brand, as it were?” Gabriel pointed out, already wondering if this was that ‘teenage rebellion’ thing he’d heard so much about.

“No Father, you don’t understand,” Adrien stressed. “I want to be free to make some of my own choices in life, not have you make them for me!”

Gabriel groaned to himself, so it  _ was  _ a teenage rebellion ploy. Well, he’d have to put a stop to that!

“Now see here, Adrien!” Gabriel protested. “You are my son, and you will wear what I want you to wear!”

“That’s right, I am your son,” Adrien said, feeling a bit brave. “I’m allowed to make my own choices, not be your paper doll!”

“I’ve allowed you plenty of freedom!” Gabriel argued back. “I’ve allowed you to run that blog of yours, even when you’ve put yourself in danger multiple times just to grab that extra bit of footage!”

He wanted to tell Adrien how scared he was, that one day a police officer would show up on hid doorstep telling him that his son had been killed in a Sentimonster attack. He’d lost his wife, he would not lose his only child!

But all the same, he agreed with his son. He should be his own man, and he was proud of him for taking charge of his own life.

But this constant escaping from his bodyguard, and all of this recklessness! It had to stop! Paris was a dangerous place nowadays, and… He took several deep breaths to calm himself, keeping a watchful eye for blue feathers. It wouldn’t do to lose his temper, not now. The last thing he needed was to become Amok fuel.

Damn that peacock for making it impossible to feel emotions anymore.

Gabriel sighed, falling back in his chair. “Go… just go to your room. Practice your piano. I’ll decide how to handle this later…”

“I… I see,” Adrien nodded solemnly, before walking to his room. Gabriel waited for the ‘slam’ of a door. It never came. Well, at least Adrien was well-behaved enough for that! It wouldn’t do to have his only child be seen throwing a temper tantrum like some spoilt brat. Like some… Bourgeois, he thought with no small amount of disdain.

He needed to have a word with the Mayor, now that he thought of it. He needed to reign his daughter in, as apparently she’d become quite the little terror at Françoise Dupont. Or maybe she always had been. Ms. Bourgeois nearly ruined Ms. Dupain-Cheng’s own career for the sake of her… what was it? Ego? Perhaps.

Gabriel honestly doubted André would listen to his complaints, he never did. He always caved to his daughter or worse, to his wife. His lips curled into a sneer. Audrey Bourgeois, what an abominable woman.

Gabriel prayed she never came to Paris, otherwise, Le Paon would have fuel for perhaps their greatest Sentimonster yet! 

All the same though, he needed to do something about Adrien. The Gorilla could only do so much, and he always did make Adrien feel like he was being watched. Hmmm, perhaps a more subtle approach was required? Someone his son could relate to? Someone his own age?

Gabriel’s lips curled into a smile. Yes, he realized. That was the perfect plan!

He had to restrain himself from laughing, just a bit.

He was a world-class fashion designer, not a common day supervillain.

Speaking of fashion designers, yes perhaps he should keep an eye on Ms. Dupain-Cheng as well. If Adrien had commissioned her, maybe there was something there worth watching after all! 

“Now then,” he said to himself, steepling his hands under his chin. “Let’s see what you’re really made of, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Was that contest at Françoise Dupont.a simple fluke, or maybe a hint of something more…?”

He would watch and see, after all, only the best for his son! Only the best indeed.

\------------

Lila checked herself into The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie and took in the sights and smells. Well, their daughter may have been Little Miss Perfect, but at least her parents made good pastries.

It was genuinely agreed amongst the class that any personal problems you had with another student were to disappear the moment you stepped in the door. The Patisserie was neutral ground, and you did  _ not  _ cause a scene in front of the Dupain-Chengs lest you wanted to be banned for life.

Sadly, nobody told this to Chloe Bourgeois.

“Rossi,” the girl sneered. “I thought I’d find you here. So, lemme guess, you’re trying to hang with your new best bud?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Lila said politely, fighting back a snarky remark about how Chloe  _ must  _ have had a crush on Marinette. “Are you here for the pastries, or for me? Because the macarons are a lot better tasting, though then again…”

It took a minute for Chloe to realize what Lila was implying, and when it hit she saw red.

“Why you…” Chloe snarled.

“Oh, so you’re not gay?” Lila said, leaning back in her chair, and deciding to drop all pretenses. “Could have fooled me!”

“I’m not…” Chloe sputtered, unaware of the attention she was attracting. “I’m not gay.”

“You only hurt the ones you love,” Lila drawled, paying more attention to her fingernails than to Chloe. “I mean, you’ll have to forgive me, but considering everything you’ve done to Marinette you gotta wonder… Is it hate, or is it love? Do you want me to get you flowers, cause I know this little place…”

Chloe grabbed Lila by her jumper, and dragged her outside before she could make any more of a scene. And more importantly, ruin Chloe’s reputation any more than she already had.

“Wow, someone’s in a tizzy,” Lila drawled. “Oh, is it  _ me  _ you like? Cause, uh, sorry, hate to break it to you…”

“HELL NO!” Chloe barked, shoving her up against a wall.

“You’re not doing much to convince me otherwise…” Lila continued to drawl.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that right, Rossi?” Chloe snarled.

“It’s all part of my charm!” Lila remarked with a grin, wriggling herself free from Chloe’s grip. She pulled herself out of her jumper, before ripping it out of the shocked Chloe’s grasp. “Now is there something you want to tell me or… Can I just go back to my macarons?”

“I know you convinced Adrien to drop me,” Chloe hissed. “I’ve seen you hanging over him like some sort of slut! Have you no sense of shame, Rossi?”

“You’re not better,” Chloe remarked. “You’re constantly all over him.”

“Adrien’s not complaining,” Chloe returned.

“Yeah, because Adrien’s been sheltered his whole life,” Lila returned. “I’m not sure he knows when he’s being  _ sexually assaulted! _ ”

And then Chloe did something she nor Lila thought she’d ever do.

She socked Lila straight across the face.

“How dare you!?!” Chloe snapped, Lila rubbing her jaw. “I would never… You think you can… God, Rossi, you don’t know me and Adrien at all. Yeah, he’s sheltered, fuck yeah he is, but if Adrien wanted me to stop touching him, he’d tell me. And I would stop. I’m not  _ that  _ kind of bitch Rossi.”

“You have standards,” Lila remarked. “Is that what you were going to say?”

“Actually yes,” Chloe returned. “Which is probably more than I can say for you. You’re something else Rossi. The rest of the school may be too dumb to see it, but I do. You’re plotting something.”

“So you’re suddenly saying I’m Le Paon?” Lila laughed. “Man, you’re really reaching!”

“Are you admitting to it?” Chloe sneered. “But you’re up to something Rossi, I know that much. See, the thing about this school? It’s  _ my  _ school. I’m the Queen Bee here, and what I say goes.”

“Heard this track before…” Lila rolled her eyes. “Yadda yadda yadda!”

“I’m the only one here who’s allowed to be mean to these students, not some uppity little Italian, you need to know your place,” Chloe said. “You turned Adrien against me so-”

“Pretty sure you did that yourself, bitch,” Lila replied. “He just needed a little extra push, I gave him that I will admit, but eventually he’d grow tired of your behavior one way or the other. All I did was give things a little jump start!”

“So you’re just trying to win points for basic human decency, gotcha,” Chloe said with no small amount of sarcasm. “You just want to be the little star of the class, am I right?”

“Well, if they’re offering…” Lila smirked while playing with her hair.

“Don’t be coy,” Chloe said. “We both know who the class loves. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’ve long since accepted that. She’s Little Miss Perfect, the school idol. She doesn’t know it, she’s too humble to even consider the possibility.”

“While you remain as their punching bag,” Lila commented. “Well, the first step to solving a problem is admitting it…”   


“Hahahaha, yeah, you’re very funny. Now go screw yourself,” Chloe snorted before she saw Lila’s mouth open. “And no, that’s not an invitation to some crude joke.”

“Well, it wasn’t going to be until you made it one…” Lila remarked with a little shrug. “So you’ve got no one but yourself to blame. Which… kinda sums you up in a nutshell really, now that I think about it!”

Playing with her hair, she watched as Alix, Rose and Juleka walked into the alleyway, having spotted what was going on.

“Chloe, don’t you have better things to do?” Alix said, crossing her arms. “Like, so not cool.”

“Yeah, leave Lila alone!” Rose shouted. Juleka just glared death daggers at Chloe, unusually bold.

“Fine, just telling her what her place in the world is,” Chloe said, beginning to march off, her heels clacking against the pavement. “But fine, come to her defense. Watch what happens when time goes by and she stabs you in the back. You’re all ridiculous, completely and utterly ridiculous!”

\------------

Marinette, unaware of all of this, had finally come up with a design.

“Yeah, I think this’ll do,” she said with an approving nod. “Simple, but functional!”

“Yes, I think Adrien will love it!” Nooroo agreed.

Rushing back to her room with a cry of: “Dark Wings Rise!” she quickly set to work stitching and sewing. Marinette realized how lucky she was to have some wool on her, leftovers from a previous project for last Christmas and began putting it all together.

The next day, she wheeled herself into school with a smile and a package on her lap.

“Oh, someone’s happy!” Aurore chimed in, noticing the package. “You planning on giving this to your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my… Aurore!” Marinette shouted, her face blushing a bright red.

“I dunno, you two seem pretty close,” Aurore remarked. “Annnnnd he knows about your other life so, well!”

“He’s a model, Aurore, I’m sure he’s got lots of pretty model friends to date,” Marinette sighed. “Nobody like poor Marinette…”

“We’ve talked about this Mari,” Aurore said. “No self-deprecation! Head held high, eyes front!”

“Right…” Marinette took a deep breath. “Here we go!”

Wheeling herself into the classroom, she placed the package on Adrien’s desk and then wheeled herself to her desk.

She checked the clock, and on time at that!

Then she noticed Lila walking into the classroom along with Adrien.

“And.. and, Chloe just took me behind Marinette’s parents' bakery and threatened me! Like, she threatened to knock me silly if I didn’t stay in line or something!” Lila said, sounding close to crying as she regaled Adrien with what apparently was Chloe’s latest stunt. She gritted her teeth, and sighed. Yeah, of course, that sounded like something she’d do! “I wasn’t going to take this lying down of course, I was about to punch her across the jaw myself had Alix, Juleka, and Rose not shown up!”

Marinette looked towards her friend for clarification.

“Yeah, seems about right,” Alix confirmed. “Didn’t believe it myself, but Lila was rubbing her jaw and everything so maybe… wow, if I wasn’t so horrified I’d almost be impressed. Didn’t know Chloe  _ could  _ get her hands dirty like that!”

“You mean she actually…” Marinette said, whipping her head around to glare daggers at Chloe who seemed disinterested in everything, and caring more about filing her nails. “I can’t believe her! Talking trash about the rest of us is one thing, but actually going ahead and beating Lila up?”

Lila, unseen to all, gave a devilish smirk. That actually worked out better than she’d hoped. Nobody would believe Chloe if she told them that she’d been goaded into punching Lila, and no matter what happened she ended up looking like the villain here! Wow, Chloe walking into the bakery actually had worked out! What luck! All she had to do was turn on the tears, and the whole class hated their ‘Queen Bee’. She should be an actor, she could turn this into a career…

Assuming supervillainy didn’t work out for her and all.

Which it totally would!

“Oh wow, Marinette,” Adrien gasped upon seeing the package. “You worked fast!”

“Well, it’s just a hat,” Marinette blushed. “It’s not like it’s a full ensemble or anything!”

The class ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ as Adrien pulled the hat out. Marinette felt proud of herself, really she did. It was a simple black piece, a beanie, with little green accents to bring out his eyes. Nothing more, nothing less. It  _ did _ have her name stitched inside, but a designer always had to leave her signature. Plus, Marinette was paranoid of another Chloe situation so… 

“DUPAIN-CHENG!” Chloe bellowed.

_ “Oh, here we go…”  _ Marinette sighed internally before whirling around to Chloe. “So what do you want Chloe? Want to beat me up like you almost did Lila? Yeah, I’m sure the press will take  _ real kindly  _ to you beating up a girl in a wheelchair!”

Alix stood in front of Marinette protectively, just in case.

Chloe huffed.

“As if I’m that stupid, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe snorted. “But nobody’s allowed to give gifts to Adrien but me, understand?”

“Last I checked, you don’t have a monopoly to him,” Marinette said, suddenly not feeling afraid of Chloe anymore. If someone didn’t stand up to her, she’d go after Lila again or Alix or even Nathaniel! And well, considering not even Chloe dared to beat her up… “Go away.”

“Yes, please, Chloe,” Adrien said. “You want to earn back my friendship, you’re going to have to work for it. And not threaten my friends. Go.”

“But Adri-Kins…” Chloe whined.

“Go. Just… go,” Adrien said sternly. “You’ve caused enough trouble today.”

Chloe gave a nasty glare at Marinette, and another equally venomous one to Lila before backing off.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s got into her lately, I don’t even know if I know her anymore…” Adrien sighed before going back to his desk. Before he did so, he did kiss Marinette on the cheek causing several of the class to gasp. “Thanks for the hat, Marinette.”

“A-Anytime…” Marinette whispered feeling as if she was on cloud nine. Even if she wasn’t sure why…

“You go girl,” Alix said, punching her friend in the arm. “Aren’t you the charmer!”

“I’m… I’m not even sure what I did…” Marinette said with a slight stutter. “I was just being myself!”

Alix smirked to herself.

“And who knows,” she went on. “Maybe this will get you noticed by  _ Gabriel _ ™!”

Marinette’s jaw dropped in shock, oh god she’d forgotten all about that! Like, oh wow. Alix was right, maybe after this she would get noticed! Oh god, her dream may just be in sight! 

Yeah, she was going to faint now.

Someone catch her!

Meanwhile, at his manor, Gabriel picked up the phone.

“Moshi-Moshi?” he said before breaking into a smile. “Tomoe! It’s always a pleasure to talk to you. Alas, this isn’t a social call. I’d like to talk to you about your daughter…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so yeah, Kagami's on the way.
> 
> Been honestly debating on how to include her. But then it hit me. Have Gabriel pull a similar stunt to canon, but have more benevolent reasons behind it.
> 
> And as we know from canon he and Tomoe know each other... Well! I did think about it being Lila like in canon, and having it blow up in his face, but I've been looking for a way to use Kagami for a while now, along with one other character who I'll probably be using soon as well. (ROCK AND ROLL BABY!)
> 
> Gabriel's still a controlling piece of shit, but he's a slightly more benevolent controlling piece of shit. 
> 
> God, I wish like FIMfic you could blog about your stories. That's the one thing I wish Archive would add in, like seriously, unless you're on my Discord there's no way you'd be able to keep up what's being going on with me. 
> 
> Oh well, c'est la vie.
> 
> And no, Chloe won't realize for a while it's her own ego that's the problem and she needs to pull her head out of her ass. Mind, not like Lila's helping. I love setting the two up against each other, there's a certain kind of magic I can always create. 
> 
> Stay safe, y'all.


	17. 17: Silver Samurai

Nooroo didn’t understand what it was with rock and roll! Really!

It was loud, it was chaotic, it had no sense of rhythm! 

It reminded him of Plagg, actually.

But, to his great surprise, his holder apparently thought differently.

It wasn’t the first time he’d caught her ‘jamming out’ as she put it. 

Jamming out to loud, squealing, screaming guitars.

That was not how the guitar was meant to be played, if you asked him.

Oh, give him classical Spanish style fingerpicking any day.

Didn’t commit _ meurtre un _ to his poor sweet delicate kwami ears.

Jagged Stone. Surely that couldn’t be the man’s real name! 

Humans were so weird sometimes.

It was like changing your name to some unpronounceable symbol.

It made no sense!

Sometimes he wondered about the little things Tikki had created, or at least urged humans to create.

Sometimes they spiraled off in very… irritable directions.

If he wasn’t deaf by the time his time with Marinette came to an end, he’d be amazed.

Rock and roll royalty. What an oxymoron!

\------------

Now, as Alix had predicted, Adrien’s new hat, and more importantly him wearing it, had quickly made its rounds in the newspapers. And well, if anyone had spotted her taking a picture of him wearing the hat and sent it off to _ Numéro _ to help Marinette along, well that was her little secret, wasn’t it?

Alix, however, didn’t predict how fast someone famous would actually see this. It wasn’t Gabriel Agreste, it wasn’t Audrey Bourgeois. It was Jagged Stone, rock giant and personal hero to Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Well, her third personal hero after Gabriel Agreste and her māma.

Here’s what happened...

“Penny!” came a voice as the man rushed into the Grand Paris, having had a whirl of a time signing many autographs for his adoring public. “You’ve checked with the hotel right? Are my demands met? I’m an artist, and I can’t work without the proper conditions!”

“Yes, Jagged,” his long-suffering assistant said, clipboard in hand as ever. “I’ve checked, and double-checked and triple checked. Everything is exactly as you requested it.”  
  
“And Fang better get a real bathtub this time, not a tiny water hole like the one in that hotel across the street,” Jagged remarked, apparently ignoring the screams from the guests as in waddled his crocodile on a lead as always. “Like, right? He’s a very special boy, and he has very special needs. He’s got sensitive scales! Isn’t that right Fangy-wangy?”

“Yes Jagged, I went ahead and double-checked with Mayor Bourgeois,” Penny said exasperated and rubbing her forehead. She had a brief flashback to her… conversation with the man.

_ “We have everything you need, Ms. Fang. Even a state-of-the-art entertainment center!” _

_ “Fang’s Mr. Stone’s crocodile,” Penny pointed out. Though, now that she thought about, he did dote over him like he would a wife at times! _

_ “Mrs. Stone…” Andre started and Penny had to resist rolling her eyes. Why did everyone think they were married? _

_ “It’s just Rolling.” she swiftly corrected him. _

_ “Ms. Rolling,” Andre apologized with a blush. “we have everything you require for your boss’... Fang. Would he, um... enjoy a bubble bath?” _

_ “Fang doesn’t like bubble baths. Nor do any crocodiles for that matter. They dry their scales out.” she informed him. _

Back in the present...

“He’s said that while we’re here, we will be treated with only the finest of amenities. Now let’s just… try and enjoy ourselves while we’re here okay? This is an inconvenience, but let’s just try and make the best of it okay?”

“I hate layovers,” Jagged muttered to himself. “They’re always harshing my mellow! I’ve already had to call ahead to the _ Concorso Rock Emergenti _just to inform them their star attraction will be a few days late! They’re probably going to book XY instead, just because they think I’m spiting them!”

“Okay, _ one _, XY isn’t a rock musician…” Penny tried to say.

“I know, that’s why that little perfume ad being booked instead of me is so insulting!” Jagged ranted. 

“And secondly,” Penny went on. “They know you’re not trying to spite them. I explained to them the situation, just as you did, and the man in charge perfectly understood.”

“Thanks Pen, you’re the best!” Jagged exclaimed, kissing her on the cheek leaving her blushing bright red.

“...oh boy, wait until the tabloids get ahold of that…” she muttered knowing that _ someone _had to have taken a picture of that little moment. She and Jagged weren’t dating! Really! Despite what the papers said! Honestly!

Keeping a careful eye out for a certain stalker, she stepped into the elevator.

“Jagged, we’ve talked about this,” she sighed. “You need to stop doing that, those… those bloody vultures in the tabloids are going to get ideas!”

“Oh bloody hell,” Jagged said. “The paps are going to make up whatever they want no matter what we do!”

He briefly did show a look of fear though.

“You think that creep Vincent’s here though?” he asked, somewhat nervously.

“I wouldn’t bet against it,” Penny admitted with a small sigh. “He does seem to have a real ‘talent’ for finding you when you least expect it.”

“Even if I do expect it nowadays,” Jagged replied. “Talent nothing! He’s a complete nutter! Like, doesn’t he have a life?”

“He does, alas, it’s just stalking you,” Penny remarked. “I guess I should ask Mayor Bourgeois to double the security guards… You know, you should really send him a thank you, maybe some flowers for putting you up here on such short notice.”

“Did you see him?” Jagged asked with a snort. “He was practically falling all over himself to have me, the famous Jagged Stone, rock god, in his city! In his hotel! Mind, he also looked about ready to pop his clogs when he saw Fang! I’ve never been so insulted in me life! Fang’s my baby boy, what’s wrong with owning a pet crocodile! Everyone should do it!”

“Most people don’t own crocodiles,” Penny reminded. “Most people can’t _ afford _to own crocodiles.”

“Yes, well, it’s hardly my fault that I’m allergic to fur!” Jagged remarked. “I had to get a little something special to accommodate for that!”

“You could have gotten something normal, like a parakeet or something,” Penny pointed out. “I’m sure you’d love a parrot, they talk!”

“No way, hearing people repeat what I say is just creepy!” Jagged shuddered. “Besides, I wanted something unique, something… well, me! And a crocodile screams me! It called out to me when I saw him in the shop. It said to me: “Jagged!” He said to me: “Jagged!” It was like an angel’s chorus! It’s so rock and roll!”

“Jagged…” Penny sighed to herself. Sometimes her boss could be such a child. She honestly doubted crocodiles were just sold in shops!

As they walked into their room, well _ strutted _in Jagged’s case really, Penny decided to just pop open a magazine. It paid to be well informed on the fashion industry. She was Jagged’s personal representative to the public, and she had to look the part. 

“Penny!” Jagged called, peeking out of the bathroom where he’d been scrubbing Fang’s scales. “You think I should write a song about being trapped in Paris? Like, my fans would _ dig _ to hear my thoughts on layovers! Oh, the sheer raw emotion! The tormenting pain, the _ agony _!”

“It’s not a breakup Jagged,” Penny replied, having to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Really! 

“But…?” Jagged pressed and this time Penny really did roll her eyes. Unseen of course.

“Do what you want Jagged,” she said curtly.

“Excellent!” Jagged exclaimed. “I’m sure old man Roth won’t mind me releasing it as a single, it’s not like I could fit it anywhere in my albums anyways!”

“Well, I suppose if we rented out a studio, we could probably get it out quickly…” Penny mused. “And yes Jagged, we _ are _ renting out a studio as soon as possible. I know you, after all.”  
  
“Excellent!” Jagged said, grinning ear to ear before an idea hit him like a thunderbolt. “Hmm, I think I need something that screams ‘Paris!” to help me get inspired. Well, that and I need a souvenir to remind me of my agony and my pain. I KNOW! Eiffel Tower sunglasses, just think of it Penny!”

“I don’t think you can buy those in a store, Jagged…” Penny reminded him.

“So what?” Jagged shrugged, leaning over her shoulder. “I’ll just get someone to design them for me!”

It was then he spotted Adrien’s hat.

“Okay, see now whoever designed that has a sense of style, passion! They know true art! The blacks and the greens, it’s soooo rock and roll! Marinette Dupain-Cheng is it? I GOT IT! I have to find her Penny, she’s the perfect choice for this!”

“Jagged…” Penny wanted to sigh but eventually gave up. There really was no stopping him now.

In any event, all it really took was a quick look through the address book to find the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” Jagged rang out as he strutted -not walked, _ strutted- _ into the bakery.

“Uh, excuse me sir,” Tom said coming out of the backroom looking fairly imposing due to his size and thanks to this, he even made a rolling pin look intimidating. Normally, he was as sweet as a teddy bear, but threaten his daughter…? And yeah, a strange man walking into his bakery shouting his daughter’s name had him… understandably worried. “But what is it your want with my daughter?”

“Oh, you must be her father!” Jagged said.

“Yes, I am,” Tom said warningly. “Now I’m going to give you to the count of three, what is it you want with my daughter!”

“Oh, I want… OH!” Jagged realized. “I really should apologize, I must be giving off some seriously _ un-rock and roll _implications! Let me explain! I saw some of your daughter’s work in a magazine, and I’m in the market for a… well, I’m not sure what I’m in the market for, at first it was sunglasses but my muse changes every few minutes. You understand. I need something new, something inspiring! Something… well, rock and roll!”

And then Tom realized.

“You want to commission my daughter?” he asked.

“Exactly!” Jagged sang. “I haven’t felt this much raw artistic talent since… well, myself actually! The world doesn’t realize it yet, but your daughter is going places! People just need to see her talent on display!”

“Well, considering her work is in a magazine…” Aurore said walking by before she stopped, and turned as she realized just _ who _ was in the bakery. “Hey, aren’t you Jagged Stone? Marinette’s a _ huge _fan! Like, my girl’s a massive fan! She has every one of your albums, and her room’s wall to wall posters of you!”

“Even better!” Jagged exclaimed. “See, only a _ true fan _ would recognize what I want! Only they would _ get _ me!”

“Jagged!” Penny said, sprinting in having taken a taxi. “We’ve talked about this, you can’t just go running off like that!”

“But it’s all worked out!” Jagged said. “Pen, don’t you see! I’ve found the perfect artist to design my new apparel! An actual fan Penny, an actual fan!”

“Yes, this is all well and good, but we can’t have you just running off like that!” Penny said. “Do you know how much I was freaking out about possibly losing you? I was lucky people caught photos of you heading in this direction!”

“I’m sorry Pen,” Jagged said, bringing her in for a hug. “I really am. I promise, next time this happens, I’ll consult you first.”

Tom and Aurore shared a look complete with Aurore raising an eyebrow and with Tom giving a sigh. Oh, the two were so romantic. 

Then came the flash of a camera.

“YOU!” Jagged snarled as he saw a blond man snapping a photo with his camera outside the bakery. “I thought I told you never to come near me again!”

“Remember me, Mr. Stone? Vincent Aza! Just one photo to show everyone in the world that we're best buds! Come on, please! I'm your biggest fan!” the man said excitedly from outside the bakery. Tom and Aurore shared equally disbelieving looks, and Tom knew that if his wife was here, she’d read this Vincent the riot act for disturbing her customers. Thankfully, Jagged seemed intent on doing the same judging by the look on the normally jovial man’s face. 

“I know, you've been to my last 36 shows. But we are not friends.” Jagged said angrily.

“But…”

“Didn't you hear Mr. Stone? You still haven't got it, have you?” Penny said sternly. She ripped the camera from his hands and tossed it, Vincent screaming but managing to grab it. “Good reflexes. Now don't let me see you near Mr. Stone again. Or next time, you won't get your camera back.”

“...are you sure that was a good idea?” Tom asked worriedly as he watched Vincent trod off head hung low. “I mean, he seemed pretty beaten up about it.”

“He’s just a loony fan, a nutter,” Jagged said, waving off his concerns dismissively. “Nothing more to say!”

“It’s just… well, in this city,” Tom tried to explain as he kept a worried eye on the sky. “Being sad or mad or afraid? It makes you prime Amok fuel. Le Paon Bleu is always watching…”

Penny and Jagged shared a confused look before Jagged spoke. “Who’s Le Paon Bleu, another rock star? Sounds like one Hell of a stage name, not sure why I haven’t heard of them before!”

“Oh boy…” Aurore muttered looking skywards. “I’ll explain later, but first things first, I gotta prep Marinette for… well, _ you _. No offense. This is going to be a bit of a shock to her…”

\------------

Adrien had always liked fencing, it was one of his dad’s few assigned hobbies that he actually enjoyed. For one, it allowed him to get some exercise when he wasn’t cooped up in his room, and secondly unlike piano playing or learning Chinese -Adrien still hadn’t figured out why his dad wanted him to learn that- it might actually come in handy. Especially these days with a supervillain running amok. 

(He was way too proud of himself for that pun, actually.)

It was very… liberating.

This new opponent, well she was actually giving him a run for his money. The last time he’d actually had this much of a challenge was when he’d challenged Mr. d'Argencourt to a duel. This woman in red was making him work for his victory.

And a victory it shall be! To borrow Mr. d'Argencourt’s catchphrase, have at thee!

Nino stood off to the sidelines, filming _ everything _.

Every now and again, he heard a shout of: “Kick her ass, dude!”

Mr. d'Argencourt also chimed in every so often. “Oh, what a show! Don’t give her any quarter, Agreste!”

But then again…

“New girl, show them what you’re made of! I think Agreste is getting too big for his britches, what do you say? Par le fer!”

Whose side was he on anyways?

Two buzzers went off at the same time. Mr. d'Argencourt let out a cry of: “Simultané! Par un toucher!”

This continued for a bit, a delicate dance of the blade with neither really scoring a good clean deciding point.

“Okay, I believe this is a draw,” Mr. d'Argencourt finally decided. “Abstention!”

Panting and sweating, both fencers put their blades to the side and raised their masks. 

“Good… Good show,” Adrien said warmly. Why did he recognize that crest on his opponent’s outfit? It looked _ so _damn familiar and yet he couldn’t place it.

“It is nice to see you think so highly of my abilities,” the Japanese girl said in a cold, perhaps uncertain tone. “I however, did not come here to put on a show. I came here to prove myself, on my family’s reputation.”

Her family? 

“You’re from the Tsurugi family!” Mr. d'Argencourt realized. “Your family’s abilities are nigh-legendary, they’ve been swordswomen for generations!”

That’s why he recognized the crest, Adrien remembered! His father had mentioned something about the Tsurugis! Apparently, he was on good terms with the current matriarch or something. Great, now he was suspicious, this was way too coincidental for his liking. But would his father really…? No, not even he was that paranoid.

“I am… glad to hear people recognize my family’s abilities,” the girl said, puffing up a bit in pride as whispers echoed throughout the courtyard. “It gives me great pleasure to know my family’s capabilities do not go unremembered.”

Adrien bowed to her, suddenly remembering how to handle this. “All the same… Kon'nichiwa, watashinonamaeha Eidorian aguresutedesu. Anata wa nanidesu ka?”

“Ā,dakara anata wa nihongo o shitte imasu. Yorokobi. Watashinonamaeha Kagami Tsurugi.”

Adrien had taken it upon himself to learn Japanese, knowing his father knew the Tsurugis and there was a high chance of them meeting someday. Well, that and he could watch his favorite anime better.

“Dude, you know Japanese?” Nino suddenly spoke up.

“It’s only of my many charms,” Adrien laughed. “Plus, it’s practical as my father knows her mother and…”

“You realized we may someday meet,” Kagami realized. “How prudent of you. I admire someone who takes the initiative.”

Kagami was sharp, concise. Straight to the point. 

“You just say what’s on your mind, don’t you?” Adrien said to her with a slight smile.

“No hesitation, and I see no reason to speak falsehoods. There should be no secrets between friends,” Kagami said, giving her attempt at a smile, and Adrien really regretted seeing that. It was… kinda creepy, like someone trying to smile but not really knowing exactly how. “And that is what I want to be actually. Friends. I believe the Agreste and Tsurugi families would make a great alliance.”

“Woah woah,” Nino tried to butt in. “I’m pretty sure there’s a difference between friendship and being in an alliance.”

“Is there?” Kagami turned to look at him. “Friendship is a show of unity, and unity is an alliance of sorts correct?”

“Well, yeah, but…” Nino said, his hand behind his head as he laughed nervously.

“But what?” Kagami asked. “Speak, please.”

“It just sounds like you’re giving my best bud a marriage proposal or something!” Nino blurted out and Kagami’s face went as red as her uniform. Adrien’s was soon to follow.

“Believe me, if I was proposing marriage to Adrien, you would know,” Kagami said before offering her hands to both of them. “Now come, I believe it is customary for friends to treat their other friends to ice creams on warm days such as today.”

“Uh, I’m always up for that!” Nino agreed.

“Good, because I wasn’t giving you a choice in the matter,” Kagami said as Nino swallowed.

Adrien looked skywards, this was his life now wasn’t it?

\------------

Marinette was currently in the middle of hyperventilating. Like, _ Jagged Stone _ AKA her favorite rock star in the world was asking _ her _to do something for him! Her! Simple little Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the baker’s daughter who just happened to have a tiny passing interest in fashion!

Like, _ wow _ Alix wasn’t kidding when she said her little hat for Adrien was going to get her noticed. This was way above anything she’d done before! She was designing something for a famous rockstar! Okay, so yeah, he didn’t know what he wanted beyond something that screamed “Paris!” but he was still commissioning her! And all because he saw her hat in _ Numéro _ which in itself was like… _ Woah! _

Like, holy fuck. Her in _ Numéro _ of all magazines! Okay, yeah, Adrien was famous, but she hadn’t realized… Okay, okay. Deep breaths! You could do this, she told herself.

“I can’t do this!” Marinette whined, her face slamming into her desk. “I don’t even know what Jagged wants! Hell, he doesn’t even know what he wants!”

“So?” Nooroo said, fluttering about.

“So? SO?” Marinette screamed. “This is a disaster! I’m going to screw up and Jagged Stone is going to hate me forever and I’ll be blacklisted from every fashion brand in the world. Gabriel Agreste himself is going to come down to my house and laugh in my face and Adrien’s going to laugh in my face and _ aaaaaaaaagh _ I can’t deal with the presssssurrrreee!”

“Marinette, superhero of France, defender of the innocent, fighter of all the rights, can't deal with the pressure?” Nooroo said, raising an eyebrow skeptically, used to his chosen’s spiralings by now. “If you can defeat sentimonsters day in and day out, I think you can do something for Jagged Stone. I believe in you Marinette!”

“But… He doesn’t even know what he wants!” Marinette tried to argue however weakly.

“I’m sure he won’t mind whatever you do, as long as it’s rock and roll. You’re a fan of his right, you know what he likes and dislikes right?” Nooroo said and Marinette nodded. “Then you should know just what to make him!”

Marinette smiled, cracking her knuckles. “Thanks, Nooroo!”

Here, she kissed the little sprite atop the forehead before smiling as ideas began to come to her. 

“Oh, I know that look!” Nooroo said, seeing his chosen’s eyes go alight with inspiration. “From the looks of it, you’ve got another magazine-worthy idea!”

“Oh yes I do, and if I do this right… Jagged’s so going to end up on the cover of _ Metal Lourd _ for the fifth year running!” Marinette grinned. “Now, I just need to make a quick run to a thrift store, because I’m going to need some basic starting points!”

Very soon, she was out the door and wheeling herself down to a thrift shop she knew was just down the street.

Meanwhile, Aurore being Aurore just couldn’t resist texting Lila as to what was going on. She figured thanks to Jagged visiting Marinette’s home the news was bound to break eventually.

_“_ _Lila, you got to keep this on the downlow, but Marinette just got a HUGE commission! Like, massive!” _

_“_ _Alix was right, looks like her ending up in Numéro did wonders for her popularity. How do you say…? C’est la vie?” _

_“_ _Yeah, like wow! It’s probably going to hit the news soon, so I feel safe telling you. It’s Jagged Stone!” _

_“_ _The rock star?” _

_“No, the underwear model. Yes, the rock star!” _

Lila nearly crushed her phone in jealousy. Of COURSE, Marinette would end up designing something for some chart-topping rock and roller. Because she was _ Marinette Dupain-Cheng. _Little Miss Perfect.

Okay, screw it. She had to find someone to Amokatize and fast.

_“_ _Contact you later. I… I gotta process this!” _

_“Hey, who knows! Maybe soon, Marinette will be designing clothes for your mother! Think about it, from rock stars to diplomats!” _

Lila tossed her phone aside in disgust, and put on her brooch.

Duusu sighed, knowing what this meant and shook her head in disappointment. 

“Oh well, I tried to reach you…” she mused. “Maybe eventually…”

“Duusu…” Lila spoke. “Spread My Feathers!”

She felt the power wash over her, embracing it like an old friend. Of course! This was who she was, not some schoolgirl pretending to be an idiot’s friend. She was _ Le Paon Bleu _. Very quickly, all of Paris’ emotions flooded her, and she stumbled, not having properly braced herself. Lila chuckled, it’d been a little while so she’d forgotten what it felt like.

But one person stood out, and Lila smiled. Rejected by his favorite rock star. Of course, who else could it be? Jagged Stone would play a role in both of her lives today, apparently! Well then, who was she to pass up such power?

“I sense brewing anger and frustration,” Lila grinned. “Perfect prey for my feathers. It won't be long now… Now go, and embody his despair in a powerful protection!”

The feather soon found its way to Vincent, drifting inside his camera.

“I'm giving you the power to capture your hero's smile, forever. But in return, you'll need to do some capturing for me as well. Bring me Lady Papillon, and Honeybee!”

Vincent grinned before a camera flashed.

Meanwhile, unaware of what was going down, Marinette searched through the thrift shop’s bargain bins. It hadn’t taken long before she’d found some clothes that suited her purposes. Normally, she wouldn’t work with leather jackets but considering the customer she’d make an exception this time. Yeah, she could make it work. 

She’d also found some sunglasses, which Nooroo was looking at skeptically from inside her bag.

“This is either gonna be the most amazing pair or the ugliest pair of shades in the history of shades,” Marinette muttered to herself. “But, with a bit of luck, I can turn these into a masterpiece that screams “Jagged”. Rock and roll, right?”

Paying for her purchases, she was barely out the door when there came the sound of an explosion.

“Oh no…” Marinette sighed. “And I was having such a good week!”

Finding a nearby alleyway, she looked at Nooroo. 

“Well, it’s been a while since we’ve had to use our powers seriously, but we know how this goes by now! Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!”

Aurore, for her part, skidded around a corner following the explosions before her eyes widened. A giant creature, partially pixelated with a camera for a head marched down the street, smashing cars with every step as fireballs erupted from the wreckage. Laser blasts erupted from its ‘head’ and people vanished with each hit.

Aurore’s breath caught in her throat, were they…? No, she told herself. This was a camera creature, so they’d just had their photos snapped. They’d probably been tossed in the sentimonster’s personal dimension. 

Which meant… oh joy, she was going to have to pull some stupid hero crap again, wasn’t she? 

“Pollen!” Aurore said as she hid in an alleyway. “Buzz on!”

Well, she wouldn’t be remiss to admit that she’d missed this. But all the same, Aurore longed for the day when Paris wasn’t threatened by _ monstres géants. _Oh well, time to get to work!

Swinging into action, with a cry, she kicked the massive beast in the face making it stumble.

Zipping to a rooftop, she eyed the creature as it turned to face her. Okay, so she didn’t crack the lens. Good! Most people wouldn’t consider that a good thing, but it worked for her plan!

...if you could even call it a plan.

She didn’t have any proof that her power would even _ work _for what she had in mind!

“Honeybee, whatever you’re thinking,” Marinette said as she landed next to her. They’d long since been able to figure out each other’s moves. “Don’t go through with it. We need to be smart about this!”

“Well, if you’ve got a plan, I’m all ears,” Aurore said. “But we need some way to free those people it’s captured. And unless you plan on searching every house in Paris…”

“Point taken,” Marinette admitted, as they got away from the creature, dodging a camera blast for want of a better term. “But let it be known I’m agreeing with you under strict protest!”

“Noted!” Aurore said as she watched a chimney get zapped away. “....oooh, Mr. Ramier’s going to need to call the builders! Again.”

“I’m not letting you go in there alone,” Marinette said. “I’m giving you a partner, just for this!”

“Who do you see?” Aurore asked, the camera monster close behind. Its footfalls thudded against the pavement, shaking the very earth

Marinette sensed the city. She felt it’s emotions. Most were afraid, but one person lit up like a flare.

Raw determination.

She sought this person out.

And then she saw their owner. A Japanese girl, with Nino and Adrien at the Pont des Arts!

Perfect.

Kissing her Tenshi, she let it fly.

\------------

Now Kagami could say she let nothing faze her.

That being said, seeing a walking kaiju in real life was… certainly unexpected.

Mother had told her about what was gripping Paris. Plagues of monsters.

But to see one in the flesh…?

Drawing her blade in defence of her new friends, she felt warmth wash over her.

_ “Well then,” _ she heard a voice speak in her mind. _ “Haven’t seen you before in my city, but… I can sense you want to protect your friends.” _

_ “Who are you?” _Kagami wanted to know.

_ “A friend,” _ Marinette soothed. _ “Don’t worry.” _

Kagami remembered. She’d heard stories of a guardian lady of Paris. The Butterfly Woman. 

_ “Now, you need my help just as much as I need yours,” _ Marinette said, speaking softly. _ “My friend, Honeybee? She has a plan to save everyone, but I need your sword.” _

_ “My sword?” _Kagami asked.

_ “Yes, your sword. I can make it so it can cut through anything. You’d be unstoppable.” _

_ “Well then, my daimyo, I accept,” _Kagami said as power washed over her.

_ “Welcome, my Silver Samurai.” _Marinette smiled as Kagami broke free from her cocoon. She’d heard the name in a comic book once. Albeit, it had belonged to a villain, but it seemed a fitting name for her new hero. And boy was Kagami now a silver samurai if there ever was one. Her entire body was covered from head to toe in silver armor, her blade unbreakable.

“No hesitation!” Kagami… no, Silver Samurai said as Honeybee zipped by, grabbing her.

“So, first time at the hero gig?” she greeted friendlily, with a warm smile that seemed to light up a room. “Don’t worry, it’s a bit scary at first yeah, but it’s easy enough to figure out. All you got to do is hit the monster. Or… slash it as the case may be.”

“I assume your plan’s a bit more thought out than that?” Silver Samurai asked, really wishing Adrien wasn’t recording this whole spectacle. Oh, her mother was going to give her hell for this. 

“Yeah, but you’re not going to like it…” Aurore said, watching people get zapped away. Silver Samurai’s eyes followed her and she realized.

“Oh, well, if Tomoe Gozen could help lead to the rise of the first shogunate, I can do this!” Silver Samurai told herself. “My blade is unbreakable, and so is my will!”

“I like your confidence!” Aurore smiled cockily as the creature turned to face them. “Oh well, here we go!”

_ “Ikou!” _Silver Samurai roared and their world became one of white…

Marinette saw them zapped away, and for a brief moment she lost her connection. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried not to panic. Right, they were just in another dimension. That’s all.

And she realized that’s where _ she’d _be if she didn’t keep moving, seeing the monster’s head turn to face her.

Butterflies carried her away, and Marinette tried to reestablish her connection with Silver Samurai. Kagami, she remembered. Kagami Tsurugi, of the famous Tsurugi house of Japan and a world class fencer. Whenever she connected with one of her champions, she got little bits of information about their livelihoods. Marinette wasn’t necessarily a fan, felt a bit too invasive for her liking.

Ah, there she was again. Marinette let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

_ “Silver Samurai, are you alright?” _ she asked. _ “Speak to me, my champion!” _

_ “I’m alright, Lady Papillon. My daimyo, I am in… a void, there is no other way to describe it,” _ Silver Samurai said looking around, with nothing but an endless expanse of white in front of her. _ “Honeybee and I have apparently been digitized.” _

_ “All according to plan then?” _ Marinette said. _ “I’ll try to lure this monster away from the center of Paris. Just get everyone out of there!” _

Her butterflies carrying her away, the monster following, Marinette took a deep breath. This was going to be tricky.

Right, she just needed to buy some time for Aurore and Kagami to do their job.

And for the next few minutes, she led the monster on a merry chase, with the Eiffel Tower growing further and further away. The monster stomped past the Agreste Manor, a nervous Gabriel watching from a window.

_ “Adrien, please be alright…” _

A woman inside a red car stepped out of her vehicle. Tomoe Tsurugi’s eyes narrowed as she drew her sword. She may have been blind, but she could still take on this monster.

Not that neither needed to worry for much longer, as with one cleaving slash, Silver Samurai ripped through the dimensions and everyone was free. Tomoe heard her war cry, and she frowned in thought. Why did that sound so familiar…?

The monster stumbled, a gaping hole in it’s chest as pictures flittered down to the pavement below. From every picture, someone appeared with Honeybee and Silver Samurai the last to reappear.

“Well, it seems your plan worked after all,” Silver Samurai said, sheathing her sword. “It just needed my modifications to it.”

“Yeah yeah, no need to brag…” Honeybee muttered before turning to look up at the massive camera-headed titan. “...so, you got a plan on how to stop this thing as well?”

“Oh, give me a minute, and I will think of something…” Silver Samurai said.

“No need,” Papillon called. “I’m going to try something!”

She could sense every emotion in Paris, she realized, so by that logic she could sense concentrated amounts of negative emotion. Don’t think, she told herself. _ Feel _. It hit her like a tidal wave. Waves of anger, rejection, sadness. She closed her eyes in pity, whispering an apology to poor Vincent for being taken over like this.

“There!” Papillon shouted. “The amok, it’s inside the camera head!”

The monster let out a roar, swiping at them.

“Yeah,” Honeybee said, zipping backwards to avoid being crushed. “But how do we get to it!?!”

What they saw next was something they couldn’t quite believe. A dragon of pure water slammed into the monster, making it stagger. It was like a deluge, drenching the streets with holy waters and as the tidal wave subsided, the monster toppled into a nearby park, crunching metal fence beneath it and cracking the earth below. Dust flew everywhere, and when the smoke finally cleared, a red figure stood atop a rooftop. A hood obscured their identity, giving Papillon and Honeybee brief flashbacks to Le Paon Bleu but at the same time…?  
  
They didn’t feel threatened by this new hero in any way, in fact it was just the opposite. And then Papillon spotted the choker around their neck, she’d seen that somewhere before! Of course, the Dragon Miraculous! Master Fu must have given it to someone while she was away in America! 

“Who the hell…?” Honeybee uttered before the scarlet warrior shouted something -impossible to hear from this far away- before turning into a cloud of mist. “...okay then, what’s that about not looking a gift horse in the mouth?”

“Or a gift dragon!” Papillon teased before she yelled at her partner, barking an order: “Now, tie it up and paralyze it! We can’t let this sentimonster get away!”

Honeybee nodded, working like lightning to tie her trompo’s strings around the massive beast before leaping forwards with a cry of: “Venom!”

The monster went limp, before Honeybee flipped away, before she and Papillon grabbed Silver Samurai tossing her forwards. The girl let out a war cry, slashing the beast’s head and as the sentimonster practically melted away, Vincent was exposed with a little blue feather flying away in the wind.

“I… what happened?” Vincent said as he staggered about. “Last thing I remember…”

It was then he spotted what remained of his camera.

“Oh no, my camera!” he nearly cried, seeing the wreckage. He ran over to it, trying desperately to repair the damage. Letting out another sob, Vincent looked nearly despondent.

Marinette, for her part, kept an eye on the sky. She’d never seen an amok come back to someone before, but she really didn’t want to find out if it was possible. 

“You!” Vincent shouted, spotting Silver Samurai. “You did this! I had pictures that were going to be worth a fortune! And you destroyed my camera!”

“I destroyed your camera to save you,” Silver Samurai said, barely fazed by the man’s shouting. “Or would you rather you remained trapped inside that sentimonster forever?”

“I was going to capture Jagged Stone’s likeness forever!” Vincent shouted. “I’m his biggest fan!”

Honeybee turned to her partner and muttered: “More like his biggest stalker, I saw him earlier today at your manman and papa’s bakery. I was surprised when Penny didn’t serve him a restraining order…”

“...oh, he’s that kind of guy, is he?” Papillon replied, her voice a mutter before her hoverchair floated over to Vincent.

“I’m sorry, I’ll see if the city can’t reimburse you,” she said, putting on a kind face though in reality, she was quite irritable from what she’d just heard and Vincent’s current behavior. “It really won’t be any trouble at all…”

“It won’t be the same,” Vincent grimaced. “So much for my pictures!”

Shoving her aside, he walked off grumbling to himself.

“Talk about ungrateful,” Silver Samurai said. “Have all of the people you saved been like him?”

“No, thankfully…” Papillon sighed. “It’s the first time someone’s ever been like that…”

“Well, you can’t win everyone over,” Silver Samurai said. “Sad fact of life.”

“I know, it’s just…” Papillon sighed. “Usually the people of Paris love me. This is the first time this has ever happened!”

“You want my advice?” Silver Samurai asked as she was released, the Tenshi fluttering away into the blue skies. Looking her former ‘daimyo’ in the eyes, her gaze hardened. “Get over it. Not everyone’s going to love you. Best you grow to accept that, now if you excuse me I had what was apparently an ice cream date with my new acquaintances Nino and Adrien.”

Walking off, she hailed a cab.

It took a minute before it hit Marinette.

“Wait, a _ date? _”

\------------

A few days later, right before Jagged was to leave for the Aéroport de Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Marinette wheeled herself into his hotel room. Ignoring a dirty look from Chloe as she rushed past, she rapidly knocked on the door and was greeted by Penny.

“Jagged, it’s your-”

“MARINETTE!” Jagged said, pulling the young girl inside as she let out a yelp. “Please tell me you’ve got my new rock and roll stylings!”

“Yes, I… Uh, wow, you’re exuberant, but yeah I totally did it,” she said as Jagged unwrapped the package she’d had in her lap, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. She must have been like Père Noël to him! Nervously pressing her fingers together, she stuttered out: “S-So, what do you think?”

“Oh, I love it!” Jagged said, tossing his usual sunglasses aside for the ones Marinette had made for him, shaped like the Eiffel Tower and colored in the shades of the Parisian flag. “Oh wow, yeah these are awesome!”

“Yeah, they’re kinda pure 70s Elton Johnish, but I knew they’d be _ perfect _for you,” Marinette elaborated. “They’re unique, nothing else like them in the world. What I did was grab some regular sunglasses from a thrift store, and then some paper fake ones from a stall. Popped the lenses out of the sunglasses, and attached the Eiffel tower lenses from the paper sunglasses to the real deal. Dabbed at them with a paintbrush just so you could have the colors of the Parisian flag all over them. They’re like a wearable banner!”

“I see! Very inspired,” Jagged appraised putting his regular sunglasses back on “This is the work of a true artist and… oh, I see your signature on the hinge! Oh, I can’t even imagine how long that took to do…”

Putting them back on, he tossed his new jacket on as well. Now, this was what Marinette was really proud of, to be honest. She’d tossed on a few buttons, all themed after various famous tour dates, and added a scented sticker to the jacket, so it smelled like real hard-worn rock and roll leather. Real guitar strings, grabbed from Jagged’s trash and from a dumpster behind a guitar store were woven into the fabric, wrapping around the jacket. And from Jagged’s various little ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, it was clear he recognized the work for what it was.

“There’s even a crocodile stitched on the back!” Jagged exclaimed to Penny, as he showed the jacket to her. He sounded like he was about ready to cry. “See, what’d I tell you! A true fan!”

He walked over to Marinette. 

“Oh, all of this is awesome! You’re a true star, Marinette! I’ve got to come to you again!”

“Again?” Marinette squeaked out, barely able to believe her ears.

“Yeah! You get me!” Jagged said. “Nobody else has managed to capture my rock and roll soul as you have! Oh crap! My plane’s going to be leaving in a little over an hour! I gotta jet! Come on Penny, Rome awaits!”

Marinette watched as Penny and Jagged and Fang dashed out, leaving a whirlwind in their wake. It took a few minutes for her to register what had happened, but when she did, she finally let out a cry of: “ROCK AND ROLL!”

Alas, Kagami had been having less fun than Marinette. Her mother, of course, had several things to say.

“Now, I’ve been hearing of this Silver Samurai, and by all accounts her form is pretty sloppy. An unbreakable blade? Absolute nonsense!” Tomoe went on. “The only thing that is unbreakable in life is one’s will! She took too long to drop the monster, and free it from evil! Now, if I’d been this Silver Samurai, I would have only taken three minutes at maximum to accomplish all of that! I would like to have words with her! Instruct her on her form!”

As they clashed kendo blades, Tomoe urged her daughter on.  
  
“Keep up, you mustn't get distracted! You are here to protect that Agreste boy! I’d hate to tell my old friend Gabriel that you aren’t up to the task!”

Fighting back tears, Kagami sighed. Such was her mother!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, why is it always the rich parents in this series being such pieces of crap?
> 
> Now, I admit, I don't know the first thing about fashion so I have no idea if the jacket I've described is anything good or just a complete abomination. I was just guessing. Huge thanks to Zontan over on the Quills and Sofas Discord by the way, helping me figure out how to do this without copying canon completely.
> 
> And yeah, Lila's back up to her old tricks. She could only hold out so long after all...
> 
> And the Scarlet Serpent makes their first appearance. As for who they are... well, that's my little secret, isn't it? Also, I think Grammarly officially hates me after using both French and spoken Japanese for this chapter.
> 
> Also, apologies for not enough Jagged in this chapter. I promise I'll do better next time.


	18. 18: Kagami Tsurugi

Okay, so Marinette would admit, she wasn’t expecting another Miraculous to be handed out.

Not that she was complaining, mind. Le Paon’s sentimonsters were getting stronger, their creations were getting a bit more creative.

...she honestly half expected to be fighting Godzilla any day now.

So… yeah! 

She did have to wonder why it was only  _ now  _ they’d decided to reveal themselves, right in the middle of battle.

It was a fairly well-known fact that Honeybee -and sometimes Papillon- did patrols around the city. Many a Parisian had heard the zip of Honeybee’s trompo above them or seen a cluster of butterflies overhead. 

Why not reveal themselves during a patrol?   
  
Maybe they just liked a sense of drama.

_ “So, what’s up fellow bugs?”  _ Adrien said on his latest blog post.  _ “Been a while since we’ve last connected really! Sorry! But big news, I’m sure you’ve all heard of it! New hero!  _

_ Buuuuuuuut if you’ve been living under a rock for some reason, let me recap. Okay, so just a few days ago there was another sentimonster attack. Attack of the living camera! Doesn’t sound so scary on paper, but well… uncanny valley to the max! Honeybee and our Lady showed up as always, with a champion by their sides. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ But! But that’s not the interesting part, because as scary as it may seem at one point Camera Hog as I’ll call it had backed them into a corner. Then whoosh! Like a hurricane, or rather like a tidal wave they arrived. _

_ The Scarlet Serpent! Now I don’t know if that’s their real codename, but until they chose to reveal themselves again, or talk to the press -hopefully yours truly!- well for lack of a better name…  _

_ No, I don’t know where they came from. I can only guess the same place Honeybee and Our Lady really. But they seemed to be as shocked as yours truly as to Scarlet Serpent’s appearance.  _

_ Now, I can only speculate who’s under the hood. And why they chose to take up superheroing. Were their parents killed in an alley by a lone gunman? Were they bitten by a radioactive lizard? Last vestige of a dying planet? Did Our Lady inspire someone to take up the cause of justice? Any and all of these are possible, and I will be encouraging speculation in the comments so hint hint!” _

Marinette wasn’t sure how she felt about inspiring others. Yeah, she loved her city and was happy that others put their faith in her but… Superheroing was dangerous! 

Now, of course, she had faith in her Master. They wouldn’t just hand out a Miraculous ‘just because’ and especially not one as powerful as the Dragon. 

But she didn’t want anyone taking up the sword just because  _ she  _ decided she had a city to save!

What if… what if they got themselves killed in a battle because they weren’t strong enough? Because  _ she  _ wasn’t strong enough to protect them? 

She needed to talk to Master Fu, hopefully learn who this ‘Scarlet Serpent’ was and get some inside information. 

She needed to stage an intervention, she didn’t want to fight alongside someone who was doing a whole ‘lone wolf’ act. She wanted to actually  _ work  _ with what was hopefully, a new partner…

_ “Honestly? If you want my honest opinion?”  _ Adrien said on her computer screen.  _ “I’m looking forward to another team up between the Scarlet Serpent and Our Lady of Paris. If you ask me, it seems like it could be a very lucrative partnership…” _

Across the city, in one of the richer arrondissements was the Tsurugi Manor.

In some ways, it could be compared to the Agreste Mansion. Intimidating, with high walls on every side and governed by an overly protective matriarch. 

In others, not so much. 

Putting aside the obvious Japanese decor, there was a feeling you got when you stepped into the house. Years of tradition and family history on every side, from the ancient armor of the samurai to paintings of famous family members.

The Agreste family was, for the most part,  _ nouveau riche _ . They’d only recently acquired their substantial wealth and power, and even half of that was from another family. The Tsurugi family was  _ vieil argent _ . They’d been around for generations, had fingers in every part of Japanese society.

Some suspected even the Yakuza. These rumors, of course, were always shut down by Tomoe. 

_ “We would never associate with the criminal class! Accusing us of cavorting with their element proves you know nothing about our family, so remove yourself from my presence. You shame your family with your lack of knowledge and you displease me.” _

Speaking of Tomoe…

“This Mayor Bourgeois of theirs is absolutely disgraceful,” the woman said disgustedly, reading over that morning’s newspaper. Running her fingers over the braille lines, she continued showing her disapproval. “Letting supervillains run amok in his city. He should contact Majestia or Knightowl and let them handle the matter! Not have  _ teenagers  _ do their job for them!”

Personally, while Kagami shared her mother’s… dislike of the Mayor -he folded way too easily, for one- it was for different reasons. And she disagreed with her mother’s notions.

“Kaa-san, do you not think it possible the reason he has yet to contact a powerful superheroine like Majestia is because he’s afraid of what might happen?” she finally spoke.

“Afraid?” Tomoe asked. “Of what?”

“We know what happens when regular civilians fall into despair, mother. Think about what might happen if  _ Majestia  _ were to fall prey to an amok,” Kagami explained, before letting a shudder of fear pass over her. “The resulting monster would be… horrifying.”

“I believe Majestia would be far too disciplined to let herself ‘fall prey’ as you say,” Tomoe disagreed. “A trained superheroine like her, she would know how to manage her emotions. Just as you should. Do not show fear, my daughter. An ‘amok’ may find it’s way to  _ you,  _ my daughter, and then I would have to save you. Do not show weakness, not in this city.”

“Are having emotions a weakness, mother?” Kagami dared to ask.

“Yes,” Tomoe answered. “They make you hesitate, question yourself. They hold you back. Listen to your mother, my daughter. I know what’s best for you, and nobody else.”

“I… yes, that is true,” Kagami admitted.

“Do you doubt me?” Tomoe asked.

“No, it’s just…” Kagami started.

“Speak up!” Tomoe said, barking out an order. Her paper lay long forgotten, cast aside. “If you have something to say to me, say it.”

“It’s just, well will I be allowed to make some of my own choices?” Kagami asked. “I am growing into my independence soon, and as a teenager I…”

“You also represent my family,” Tomoe pointed out. “You represent the  _ Tsurugi  _ family. We have a reputation we must uphold. Be careful, my daughter, as whatever you do reflects back at me as well. You must be mindful of whatever choices you make, because…”

“...whatever I do also represents you,” Kagami said, before her mother hit her over the head with a paper fan.

“Mind your tongue, be more respectful to your mother!” Tomoe said, again practically barking the order. 

“Yes, mother…” Kagami sighed.

“No sighing, sit up straight!” Tomoe continued to bark.

“Yes, mother.”

“And no back sassing me either,” Tomoe instructed. “You are a Tsurugi woman, and you are expected to act like it. Now about this Agreste boy…”

“What of him, mother?” Kagami asked nervously.

She knew what was coming, the evaluation. Like everything else in her life, her mother controlled who she could be seen with. Nobody who could potentially bring shame to her family, Kagami thought bitterly. Oh yeah, she claimed to be looking out for her, but Kagami had to wonder just  _ whose _ happiness she had in mind. Her daughters, or her own.”

“Was that an eye roll?” Tomoe suddenly said.

“No, mother,” Kagami quickly replied, perhaps a little too quickly. Like a wolf, her mother sensed weakness.

“What did I just say?” Tomoe said. “Respect your elders! Now, as I saying! This Agreste boy. His family is reasonably prestigious, if not  _ atarashī okane _ and his father’s an old friend of mine. He actually came to me with a… request, asking me for a favor, as you very well know.”

Oh yes, Kagami did very well know just barely suppressing another roll of her eyes. Just barely. She didn’t want to give her mother more ammunition to use against her, if you will. Gabriel needed a bodyguard, in a way, for his son. Apparently, he kept getting into trouble.

Given he was still filming while that sentimonster attacked, yeah Kagami could believe it. A fearless fool, really.

But at the same time, he was… nice. Charming. He definitely cared for his friends, and he knew his way around a blade. 

Oh great, she was starting to sound like her mother. She was assessing him, evaluating him.

“Make sure he stays out of trouble,” Tomoe instructed. “Keep him away from the sentimonsters. That was Gabriel’s explicit instructions.”

Something told her that was going to be harder than it sounded.

“Of course it will be difficult,” her mother went on, and too late Kagami realized she’d said that aloud. “But he is your responsibility, Kagami. Never forget.”

“Never forget,” Kagami repeated. “But mother, Adrien, he’s… smart. Sharp actually, he’s apparently one of Françoise Dupont’s top students. What if he figures out what I’m doing?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Tomoe refuted. “You’re not here to be friends with him, you are here to keep him safe. Protect him with your life!”

But what if she wanted to be friends with him, Kagami wondered. Did her happiness ever factor into her mother’s equations?

“You are my pride and joy,” Tomoe said kindly, a rare compliment from her. “I’m sure you can find a way to do it. If I have to put you and him in a  _ miai-kekkon _ , I will.”   


“Mother!” Kagami gasped, affronted.

“I joke,” Tomoe said, though Kagami wasn’t sure if she should believe her or not. “If you happen to fall in love with this boy along the way, well that is simply just a bonus. Though if you ask me, Gabriel doesn’t have enough control over his son. Running into danger just to get ‘hits’ and ‘views’! Does his boy have a death wish?”

“It’ll be hard for him to fall in love with me if he just thinks of me as a bodyguard, not a friend. Because make no mistake mother,” Kagami said in a rare show of defiance. “That’s what he’ll think of me as if I don’t play this right.”

Don’t play this right. It sounded so… dirty coming from her lips. Too manipulative, like Adrien was more a thing and less a person. He had thoughts and feelings of his own. Was nobody besides her considering that?   
  
Not her mother, not Adrien’s father, just her!

“Then do as you must,” her mother finally relented. “Be a friend to him. But make sure you…”

“...keep him on the right path.” Kagami finished.

“Was that a bit of sass in your tone I heard?” Tomoe inquired. “Was it?”

“No mother,” Kagami repeated.

Oh yes, it was very much sass, Kagami told herself. She didn’t like disrespecting her family, but her mother… sometimes she really irritated her. 

Kagami wanted to be her own woman, step out of her mother’s shadow just a bit. She was aware her thoughts were taking her to a dangerous place. She was prime Amok bait right now. Taking a few calming breaths, she relaxed herself.

Curse that Le Paon Bleu, making it impossible to feel!

And of course, her mother didn’t help. Were emotions really a weakness?   
  
She was supposed to be a reflection of her family, to be so incredibly perfect. Present herself as attractive to other families, and to the world. 

_ Well, what if her mother was wrong?  _

Was she? 

Kagami didn’t honestly know.

_ “She’s your mother,”  _ Kagami told herself.  _ “She’s always right, she knows what’s best for you. So listen to her.” _

So that’s what she’d do.

\------------

Putting on an emotionless mask as she strode into school that next morning, Kagami observed the reactions of her classmates.

It was the usual. Curiosity, indifference on some of their parts, maybe a bit of nervousness. 

Not that it mattered anyway, she wasn’t here to make friends…

“Dudette!” called Nino, was it? “Nice to see you again!”

“Are you always this informal?” Kagami said, her face still impassive.

“Well, uh, yeah!” Nino said. “I’m not like Adrien’s dad or anything, I’m not stuffy!”

“You should respect your elders,” Kagami said. “It is only proper.”

“Oh, lighten up dudette!” Nino said. “So what if I’m not ‘proper’ or anything? Adrien doesn’t mind me not being all that formal in regards to his old man!”

“I assume you’re this way to the teachers as well?” Kagami questioned.

“Ms. Bustier doesn’t mind!” Nino said. “She knows it’s me just being, well me!”

Kagami wasn’t sure if she liked how lax standards seemed to be around here. If Kagami had been caught acting like this to her elders back home…

_ “Of course, this isn’t Japan, is it?”  _ Kagami mused to herself.  _ “France has a totally different… vibe, I guess that’s how it’s called. I just supposed I’m going to have to get used to Nino. He’s Adrien’s friend, and so he’s now my friend.” _

“Also, how did it feel to be a superhero?” Nino had to ask. “Like me and Adrien, we saw you get chosen by Lady Papillon! That was sweet! Oh man, if Adrien had been given the chance, he’d have totally been interviewing you! Crap, I guess we really should have yesterday, right? Oh well, lessons learned!”

“It was… fine, I guess.” Kagami replied.

“Fine? Just fine?” Nino asked. “No comments about the power, or the experience of it all?”   
  
“I was trying to keep myself from getting killed, and save the city,” Kagami answered. “I didn’t exactly have time to stop to admire myself. There were other things that needed my attention. I assume you want to be a superhero too as well, right?” 

“Uh, yeah?” Nino asked, looking confused. “I mean, who doesn’t?”

“Then, Nino Lahiffe,” Kagami said. “You must always be laser-focused, and on task if you are ever chosen to be one of Lady Papillon’s champions. Something which, at this rate, I highly doubt will happen!”

“Ouch, talk about cold,” Nino said.

“I am being realistic,” Kagami replied simply. “If I sound ‘cold’ so be it. I’ve looked at the Lady of Paris -is that her name?- and her past selections for Champions. They have always been strictly disciplined, or committed to their task in some way. They never allow themselves to lose focus, not even for a moment or someone could die. You however, you’d just be a hero for the thrill of it, and that automatically rules you out as a champion. So take this advice of mine, Nino Lahiffe, and truly apply yourself. Maybe then, and only then, would you make a great hero.”

Any further discussion was cut off by Lila as the two stepped into the main courtyard.

“So hell yeah, of course I took up the offer to become a hero!” the Italian bragged currently at the center of everything, showing off what looked to be a choker around her neck. A  _ very  _ familiar choker now that Kagami thought of it. “I mean, Paris has practically become my second home!”

“...what the hell?” Nino uttered.

“Didn’t you hear?” Rose spoke up. “Lila,  _ she’s  _ the new member of Honeybee and Lady Papillon’s team!”

“It’s… pretty rad,” Juleka added.

“Uh-huh…” Kagami said skeptically. This was probably going to do  _ wonders  _ for her first impressions, but… “And  _ why  _ would she, if she was a hero, out herself like that? She’s got family right? What is she, crazy enough to put them in danger! The fool!”

“And you are?” Lila asked, eyeing Kagami icily. 

The Japanese girl snorted to herself, if this Lila girl thought she was being intimidating, she was trying  _ way  _ too hard.

“Kagami Tsurugi,” she said in reply showing off the family crest stitched into the side of her bag. “Of the Tsurugi family. Now who are  _ you _ ?”

“Lila Rossi, of the Rossi family. My mother’s a diplomat.”

“Even more reason for you to keep your mouth shut!” Kagami said. “Your mother’s a prime target, and congrats. Le Paon may be in this courtyard at this very moment, and now they know  _ who  _ to go after! So if you wake up tomorrow morning, and find your mother kidnapped on the early morning news, well congratulations you only have  _ yourself  _ to blame!”   
  
“But… But I just wanted to let people know who one of their saviors were!” Lila said, her eyes obviously brimming with… what was the phrase, crocodile tears? Not that anyone else seemed to notice how fake they were, given the ugly glares tossed in Kagami’s direction. “Guys, she’s bullying me!”

“Not cool new girl,” said someone. Juleka, Kagami thought it was.

“Yeah, lay off her.” another joined in. Ivan Bruel.

“Leave her alone!” Rose squeaked.

“Pffft, more like she’s the only one here who seems to have some common sense!” Alix muttered, leaning up against the wall and going unheard. 

“F-Fine,” Lila said, still playing up the sympathy act. “I-I wanted us to be friends, maybe unite our families in an alliance but obviously… that isn’t going to happen!”

She walked off, still fake-sobbing with her little posse in tow. Ivan gave Lila a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and tossed Kagami another dirty look.

Now  _ Alix  _ on the other hand…

“Thanks for that,” Alix said. “Not sure what’s come over the rest of the class. Or why Lila’s doing that, maybe she wants attention. Which is odd given she’s already the class darling after how she handled Chloe. But… c’est la vie eh?” 

“So I’m guessing she’s  _ not  _ the Scarlet Serpent?” Kagami drawled and Alix broke out into a laugh.

As Kagami walked to her first class, Chloe pulled her aside.

“Don’t bother with Rossi, I’ve been trying to tell the entire class something stinks about her, but…” the blonde sighed. “They won’t recognize her shit for what it is. They think she’s gold! Even Marinette, who really should know better.”

“Lovely,” Kagami said.

“I saw you hanging out with Adrien, by the way.”   


“What of it?” Kagami questioned.

“Just… be careful with him okay? If I find out you’ve hurt him…”

“Oh, like you did?” Kagami asked and Chloe blanched in shock. “Oh yes, I know who you are. He mentioned you over ice cream yesterday. You’re his ex-best friend. Chloe, correct? Considering how you used him and how you hurt him, I don’t think you have any room to talk.”

Chloe let out a hiss, but said nothing else and watched as Kagami marched off.

As for the Tsurugi Heiress herself, she simply didn’t understand it.

Why did anyone need to be the center of attention? This elementary school level one-upmanship was simply folly.

She needed to talk some sense into this ‘Marinette’, hopefully make her see sense. If Le Paon Bleu ever caught wind of her friend’s boasting, well… 

It wasn’t hard to find her, though some of her classmates did give her some suspicious looks as she strode up to the wheelchair-bound girl. 

_ “Whatever,”  _ Kagami mused.  _ “They don’t matter, not if they’re this foolish.” _

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, right?” Kagami asked, walking beside her. “Your friend. Lila Rossi? You need to tell her to stop telling everyone that she’s Scarlet Serpent. She’s putting herself in-”   
  
“She’s WHAT?” Marinette asked, her head whipping around to look at her in shock. 

_ “Oh,”  _ Kagami realized.  _ “She didn’t know.” _

“Wha… what is she THINKING?” Marinette asked. “Is she  _ trying  _ to get herself killed?”

“Apparently,” Kagami drawled before her sarcasm vanished. “I know it’s not my place, but I can’t help but feel a bit of concern for her. She’s treading a very dangerous line.”

“Right, well…” Marinette said, wheeling herself after Lila who wasn’t that far ahead. “I’ll have a word with her.”

Kagami strode after her, and to her great unsurprise, the Italian was still telling stories.

“So, yeah, my family? We were in an alliance once with the Tsurugi clan, okay? Like, my Aunt Greta was such a great fencer, she told me plenty of stories about Aiko Tsurugi’s swordsmanship skills. Like, she was her greatest opponent and vice versa!”

Kagami growled, so the little brat was lying about  _ her  _ family now was she? Aiko had never mentioned anyone by the name of Greta Rossi!   


“I… I was hoping to re-establish that alliance,” Lila sobbed before she turned to see Kagami, and hid behind Ivan. “B-But she accused me of making up who I am, and n-now? I’m just not sure…”

“What did you do?” Marinette asked in an accusatory tone, wheeling herself around to look at Kagami. 

Marinette herself may not have noticed, but Kagami sure as hell did. Lila’s lips, now upturned in a little devious smirk.

“I told her some harsh truths,” Kagami said as eloquently as she could. “I’m just trying to keep her from getting herself killed, or her family hurt. She can react however she wants, I’m just trying to help.”

“Yeah, well, just stop. Okay?” Marinette asked pleadingly. “Lila’s new here, she’s only been in Paris for several months!”

“And does this excuse her from making up wild stories?”

“I just want you all to like me!” Lila said with another sob. “It’s not my fault my stories are so unbelievable.”

_ “Because they are! Anyone should be able to tell that!”  _ Kagami mentally screamed.

“Hey, it’s okay Lila…” Marinette whispered, bringing her in for a hug.

“I just wanted to make friends…” Lila continued to cry.

“I think you should go now,” Marinette glared at Kagami.

The girl sighed to herself, watching Kagami walk off before going back to comforting her friend.

Kagami herself, meanwhile, frowned. It was clear Lila had a hold over this school.

Maybe she shouldn’t get involved. 

It wasn’t her problem.

She was only here to keep an eye on Adrien.

“I told you,” Chloe said from somewhere behind her, almost smugly. Kagami halted, turning back to look at her. “She’s got the whole school wrapped around her finger. They see a diamond where anyone gifted with the gift of sight would see shit.”

“So basically…” Kagami started.

“You’re screwed, yep!” Chloe almost laughed. “I’d probably be laughing if I didn’t pity you. I’m in pretty much the exact same situation really. You try and out Lila for what she is, the little vixen, and hello crocodile tears!”

“She’s like a kitsune…” Kagami said disgustedly. “A natural-born trickster.”

“Yep, pretty much,” Chloe admitted. “You’re kind of in a rock and a hard place. At least you don’t have to suffer it alone.”

“You are proposing an alliance?” Kagami questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“More or less,” Chloe said before she sighed. “Look, I know your type. I’ve had you pegged since the moment I first saw you. Lonely rich kid, probably with a control freak parent. Yeah, I’m not surprised you gravitated to Adrikins.”

“Your point?” Kagami asked.

“I know I’m the  _ last  _ person you want to hear this from, but… take care of him okay? It’s not like he’ll ever accept me back,” Chloe sighed. “Oh well, at least I have Sabrina…”

“You… like him don’t you?” Kagami pressed.

“What? Hell no! Not like that, ewwwwww!” Chloe said. “He’s like a brother to me! Like, yuck! Okay, yeah, he’s cute, but I’ve known him since I was a toddler! I simply don’t see him that way.”

“I don’t get you,” Kagami said, in admittance. “You can be a very kind person, if you just try. But…”

“Don’t mistake me for something I’m not. I am  _ not  _ a kind person. There’s only two people I care for, Adrien and Sabrina,” Chloe snorted. 

“And yet you want to free the school from that vixen’s spell?” Kagami asked.

“Because she’s a threat to my power base, plain and simple!” Chloe said. “The only reason I want her gone is because she can rule this school, just like me. Just like Marinette, if that little baker’s daughter would ever put her mind to it!”

“Marinette?” Kagami asked.

“Oh, you haven’t seen yet. But I  _ have _ . Marinette, the class adores her,” Chloe said disgustedly. “She can do no wrong! If she ever ran for Class President, I’d be in serious trouble. Nobody’s tried to run against me as they’re too scared, but Marinette? Something’s happened to her lately, I don’t know what. She used to be this little coward, I should know. I bullied her for years, and no I’m not apologizing for that so don’t even make me try. Marinette, she’s suddenly gotten a crapton of confidence.”

“She does seem to have friends…” Kagami said. “I heard a good support system does wonders for oneself.”

“Oh please, if it were only that,” Chloe laughed. “No, it’s something else. I don’t know what, nor do I care. She and Lila are just threats to my own powerbase, nothing more and nothing less. But Lila gives even  _ me  _ shivers. She’s up to something, agreed?”

“Oh yes,” Kagami said. “Agreed.”

“So if you’re planning to take her on, just a word of advice,” Chloe remarked.

“And what’s that?” Kagami said.

“Be careful.”

\------------

Kagami hated sitting and watching Lila through the day, as each hour passed she just continued to spin her tales.

It was like watching a trainwreck, Kagami knew she should just look away but she simply couldn’t.

She welcomed her fencing classes when they came.

Parry, thrust, sidestep, riposte! Parry, thrust, sidestep, riposte!

“Something on your mind?” Adrien asked. “Last time we fought, you were actually a challenge. Right now though… You seem preoccupied.”

Oh yeah, Kagami told herself. She was certainly  _ that! _ Practically spying on Adrien, not to mention dealing with Lila!

“It’s… fine, okay?” Kagami lied. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“It’s not ‘fine’,” Adrien said. “If it’s something I don’t need to worry about, that see, that actually makes me want to worry about it. You’re okay right, no trouble fitting in?”

In Japanese society, it should be mentioned, there was a thing about talking about your problems. To anyone in the Western world, this should seem odd, but in Japan, it was believed if you talked about your troubles you were pushing your problems on someone else.

You were expected to keep quiet about your issues and don’t stir up trouble with them.

So, that was Kagami’s problem.

To her, talking about Lila and her hold over the school to Adrien was simply not something that you just did. 

She was expected to keep quiet about it, and go on with her day.

This wasn’t Japan, Kagami knew, but she didn’t know what she was supposed to do. All of her life she was told to keep quiet about whatever was bothering her, and handle it privately. The only reason Chloe got as far as she did was she brought the subject up first.

“It’s  _ nothing _ , Adrien,” Kagami said in a warning tone. “I’m fine, no problems fitting in.”

She was lying, of course. Half of the school probably hated her.

Not that it mattered.

Not that she cared.

She wasn’t here to be liked.

No, all she was here to do was study, succeed, and keep an eye on Adrien Agreste.

“Now, let us try again, alright?” Kagami said, flipping her mask back down over her face. “Hopefully, this time, I will present more of a challenge!”

“If you say so…” Adrien said, not entirely believing her.

Parry, thrust, sidestep, riposte! Parry, thrust, sidestep, riposte!

And do all of this, Kagami told herself, without raising a fuss.

She could do this.

The day wore on, as it always did. Kagami went from class to class, skipping out on eating lunch in the cafeteria. 

Nobody wanted to see her there anyways, and in any event eating food in public simply just wasn’t done where she came from.

Finding herself a quiet spot to eat her bento, Kagami smiled. At last, some peace and solitude.

This lasted all of about five minutes, of course, as along came one red-blooded Italian. 

“You’ve got some nerve,” Lila growled, slamming a hand on the wall behind her. Kagami barely looked up from her bento, finding her food  _ far  _ more interesting than the loudmouth in front of her. Lila, of course, took this with quiet dignity, and knocked it out of her hands. “SPEAK TO ME!”   
  
“Okay then,” Kagami said before deadpanning: “Go, away. There, I spoke to you.”   
  
“Why you…!” Lila continued to growl.

“Threatening someone,” Kagami observed. “Hardly heroic behavior.”

“You think you’re all that, don’t you?” Lila seethed. “Coming in here, and trying to ruin my life!”   
  
“I’m freeing the people from a great evil. Namely, you. You’re like a kitsune, beguiling everyone for your own ends,” Kagami said simply. “You’re a pox upon this school.”

“Ah, see, but they, the sheep? They don’t know that,” Lila smirked. “And they never will. And you won’t be able to enlighten them one bit, because now they see you as a  _ bully  _ and me the poor sad victim!”

“You’re disgusting,” Kagami said.

“I know. But what’s a girl to do?” Lila said waving her goodbye as she sauntered off.

Kagami stumbled into a nearby bathroom, and slammed a fist into a nearby mirror with a roar of rage. Blood caked her knuckles and she snorted bitterly to herself. So she was a sukeban now, as well as a bully. Oh well.

Not like anyone would ever believe her if she said Lila was a liar.

She couldn’t even talk about her problems, less people think she was pushing them on someone else!

Just stay quiet, and keep them to herself.

That was what was expected of her. 

She was a good girl.

And good girls never acted out.

\------------

Lila felt the wild emotions, it had worked out perfectly.

Get Kagami riled up, and… perfect fuel for an amok.

Slipping away, she transformed.

_ “Kagami Tsurugi,”  _ she said letting an amok fly from her fan.  _ “You feel trapped, like you’re in a box. Your classmates will never believe you, you have responsibilities you just can’t shoulder and you can’t push your problems onto anyone else. I offer you… liberation.” _

\------------

Kagami saw the amok coming.

For a brief moment, she panicked. 

But no, she told herself even as she saw the blue mask appear over her own face. Tsurugis did not panic.

They stood their ground, and faced their foes head-on!   
  
And she, whatever else she was, was a proud Tsurugi!

Her mom knew she was strong, and she wasn’t going to prove her wrong now!

Her anger changed to determination, and the amok sensed it, before floating off to find someone with more raw, weakened emotion.

Kagami let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. 

_ “I… I actually did it,”  _ Kagami breathed out.  _ “I actually managed to fight it off!” _

This still didn’t change her current situation, but it gave her hope. Hope that she could change it for herself.

Lila, for her part, had felt the rage and humiliation vanish and replace itself with cold hard determination. She swore profusely to herself in Italian, she’d  _ almost  _ had her!

But that damn bitch had managed to compose herself at the very last minute and fight off her amok!

This was new, this was a new development. She hadn’t even realized it was  _ possible  _ to fight off an amok!

Lila had sensed opportunities all day, the first one was to strengthen her solidarity with her classmates. Make them think  _ she  _ was the new hero. Kagami trying to call her out for her bullshit -key word, trying- just happened to be the icing on the cake. She wasn’t expecting it, but she wasn’t expecting to expect it either so… Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, she supposed!

Well, if anything, the real Scarlet Serpent couldn’t speak up now, not unless they wanted to bring hell upon themselves and their family. Lila wasn’t dumb. She knew that the real deal had to be someone in their class.

She’d been watching the hero’s appearance through her sentimonster, and the  _ way  _ they interacted with Honeybee and Papillon? How unbelievably casual they were? It was pretty obvious they knew the two heroines outside the mask.

Lila also knew that Lady Papillon and Honeybee were likely students of Françoise Dupont. It was obvious now that she thought about it. Her attacks had been all throughout Paris, yeah, but Honeybee and Papillon always came from one specific direction, and given how young they seemed to be…

That being said, annoyingly, it wasn’t likely she’d be able to figure out their identities any time soon. She’d oh so innocently asked Max for a favor, playing the terrified girl afraid Le Paon would swoop down and grab her or her friends any day now. She wanted to know just what security cameras saw whenever she was transformed.

To Lila’s surprise and delight and then annoyance when she realized this wouldn’t help her find her archfoes, security cameras? Turns out whenever they trained themselves on Le Paon they seemed to glitch out. Magic and technology didn’t mix, apparently. Max had mentioned something about quantum masking before muttering his apologies.

Truth be told, Max  _ worried _ her, now that Lila thought about it. He was smart, like scary smart. Give him enough time and the right ‘data’, and he’d probably uncover everyone’s identities. If he hadn’t already.

She supposed she should do something about that, maybe lay some false clues or tell him, innocently, that if he continued looking into this it might make him a target.

So she did.

“I am 80% certain that the more I look into this, I would uncover Le Paon’s identity,” Max said to her. “I am aware of the possibility of them coming after me. But I’m not scared. I am 100% sure that Honeybee and Lady Papillon would come after me. In fact, I am 100% it wouldn’t take them but an hour. The Lady of Paris, as it seems, can somehow sense emotions. So it’s obvious she would find me, being incredibly calm as I would know she’s coming for me, and just pick up the trail from there.”

“You’re confident,” Lila remarked.

“My data never lies,” Max replied, adjusting his glasses. “I am 100% certain that if chosen to be a champion, I would make a great partner.”

“Uh… okay then,” Lila said caught off. “N-Next time I see Honeybee or Papillon, I’ll pass on my recommendations!”

“Oh, you will?” Max fluttered happily. “I’ve already thought about what my powers would be! Something relating to my games. I’m the school champion after all!”

“Don’t tell Marinette then,” Lila laughed. “She might just knock you off your throne! She’s actually pretty good!”

“Oh, I’m aware,” Max said. “There’s an Ultimate Mecha Strike 3 tournament coming up, and looking over the data, Marinette would be the perfect partner!”

Oh right. That was a thing, wasn’t it?

Again, a chance for  _ Marinette  _ to prove she was the star of the school.

Lila suppressed a growl, and plastered a smile on her face. 

“I’m sure you two would make a great team,” she said kindly even if in reality she wanted to spit flames. Why was Marinette so loved? What had she done to gain everyone’s attention? Bake a few cookies there, do a design here! “I’ll be rooting for you!”

Walking off, Lila grimaced. She was going to have to up her game, and find some new stories to tell.

Time to do some research then! She needed stories that weren’t so easily disproved, really. ...hmm, what was Prince Ali doing lately? Yes, that could be worth a look… 

Lila smiled. She was back in the game.

\------------

Marinette didn’t honestly know what to think of the new girl.

Kagami was… interesting.

Adrien seemed to like her, so maybe there was some good in her?   
  
But  _ why  _ did she have to be so hostile to one of her best friends?   
  
Okay, Lila was being a bit of an idiot, outing herself like that.

But Kagami could have put it a bit more tactfully!

And  _ why  _ did Lila seem so scared of her?   
  
Was Lila right? Was Kagami secretly bullying her?   
  
She… she needed time to think about this. 

\------------

Okay, so today had been a wash, as the phrase went, Kagami mused to herself.

Over half of the school hated her, and she’d nearly fallen prey to an amok.

In the back of her mind, a nasty little voice that sounded frighteningly like her mother told her that she was lacking in discipline. She shouldn’t have been so weak to attract an amok in the first place!   
  
She fought it off this time, but what about the next?

Because there would be a next time.

Kagami, now that she was alone, admitted she was lonely. Adrien, she guessed could be considered a friend and  _ maybe  _ Lahiffe as well but… 

Was she crying?

Wiping the tear away, she took a deep breath.

Her mother was right.

Emotions were a weakness.

They’d nearly turned her into a monster today.

They turned others into monsters.

So, she reasoned, she would never give in to her emotions ever again.

Françoise Dupont obviously wanted something different from her. They wanted an Ice Queen.

So that was exactly what they’d get.

Maybe she wasn’t cut out for friendship anyways.

No, don't think like that. Adrien, at least, he cared for her.

So, in private, when they were alone, she’d let her mask drop.

But for now…?   
  
Kagami Tsurugi, cold to the world and harsh to those not worthy of her time, was what they’d all see.

\------------

Aurore had heard bits and pieces about what went on today.

She’d been way too caught up in her own classes to catch much of it, but apparently there’d been some drama revolving around a new transfer student and Lila.

Like, wow. She should really pay attention to school gossip more often, because clearly she was missing something! 

There was an energy in the air, like a thunderstorm brewing on the plains in the American midwest. She could feel it in the air, the low crackles of electricity and hear the distant rumbles of thunder.

A storm was coming, this could quickly turn nasty. She wanted only to see sunny skies around Marinette and her friends, but clearly someone just wanted to bring the rain.

Keeping a watchful eye on the sky, she looked for stray blue feathers. Le Paon was a pox upon Paris, taking it like a tornado to someone’s home. Even being concerned about something was enough to warrant fears of feathers.

Be happy, be calm, be tranquil. 

And hope that when you finally couldn’t be any of these things anymore, that a little blue feather didn’t come for you…

Great, now she needed to punch something.

“Pollen, Buzz On!” she cried and with a zip, she took to the rooftops. Going for a run, she leaped from rooftop to rooftop, a cool wind in her hair and the sun in her face. 

Her bad feelings seemed to melt away, like the last vestiges of snow in the spring. Freerunning and parkour over the roofs of Paris always seemed to help sooth her, Aurore mused to herself.

Nothing to think about, except the next path she could take.

Zipping to another rooftop, she ran along the side of a building, before letting her trompo fly and she was pulled forwards. With a gleeful cry, she swung past The Hotel de Ville. The window was open, and she winked at Andre in his office as his papers went flying.

Landing atop another rooftop, she took a quick stop to catch her breath before spotting the Seine in the distance. Actually, now that Aurore thought about it, she hadn’t paid Master Fu a visit in a while. 

Besides, she had some questions to ask him. Clearly, he’d handed out another Miraculous and while she was pretty grateful to have some extra help… Her natural curiosity was getting the better of her.

She just  _ had  _ to know who this ‘Scarlet Serpent’ was!

Zipping over the streets, cameras flashing below, she rounded a corner, running along another building briefly before leaping down into the streets below. Going into a roll as she hit the ground, she let her costume fall away. Better people saw Aurore go into Master Fu’s massage parlor than they saw  _ Honeybee _ do it.

Pollen buzzed above her head, and Aurore tossed her a honey-filled graham cracker.

With the chime of a bell, she entered, and to her surprise, Marinette was already there.

“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” Master Fu said. “And I agree, you two both have a right to know who your new partner is. Trust is the foundation of good partnerships, after all.”

“So, I  _ trust  _ our new partner should be along shortly?” Honeybee punned, and Marinette groaned at the bad joke.

Outside, the waters of the Seine rippled as something seemed to rise up out of them, a puddle seeming to ‘climb out’ of the waters before it glided across the pavement and under the door.

And then Marinette realized.

“Are you…?”

The waters formed into a person, who pulled back her hood and underneath a familiar face.

“The one and only!” Alix grinned cockily. “Sorry, I just couldn’t resist having an awesome entrance again! I’m a superhero, right? I need an awesome entrance to go with my awesome self.”

“Awesome.” Aurore joked as Alix cackled.

And then both took notice of Marinette’s expression. 

“Something wrong, Mari?” Aurore asked, rushing over to her. Nooroo fluttered about his holder’s head worriedly. 

The best way to describe Marinette’s face was that she’d suffered an earth-shattering realization and had only now just realized it. And indeed she had.

“Lila… lied?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so first chapter since Miraculous World: New York – United HeroeZ aired! I make no promises, but I'll try and do something relating to that special in this story.
> 
> Or at least acknowledge Uncanny, Sparrow, and Liiri somehow. But, anyways, yeah, the chapter itself.
> 
> Lila's a bitch. What else is new? And she's *finally* started lying. Raise your hand if you saw this coming eh? I'm sure you're going to hate me for how I treated poor Kagami in this chapter, buuuuuuuuut let's be fair here. Teenagers are idiots, and Lila played the long con here. She wormed herself into her classmate's hearts, and when she was able to start lying, she played it smart and made lies that weren't so easily disproved. And with Marinette on her side...
> 
> Feel free to hate me after this chapter, because I know you will on some level. 
> 
> But I'm really enjoying what I'm doing with this story, and I know you won't hate me for announcing this but I've got *ideas* on how the next chapter will go. No sentimonster this time, but next time...? That's a different story.


	19. 19: That Doggo is a Maid!

_ Lila lied. _

The thought, no the _ revelation _simply wouldn’t leave Marinette’s mind. It had hit her like a thunderbolt.

Of course, she’d lied about actually being Scarlet Serpent.

She was just too gullible, too _ stupid _to see it. Kagami had warned her! 

She’d been telling the truth the whole time!

Okay, she so owed the Japanese girl a million croissants after this.

She should have listened, she should have seen the warning signs before it was too late!

She felt like an idiot.

The question is, what should she do now? Should she just go and confront Lila, or go on like life was normal? Just take the high road and don’t call her out for one lie? Marinette figured she probably could, after all what harm did one little white lie actually do?

_ “It could harm Kagami,” _ her conscience, which sounded suspiciously like Nooroo now that she thought of it, said to her. _ “Half of the school thinks she’s a bully, and you didn’t help matters.” _

Yeah, her conscience was right.

She, at the _ very least, _owed Kagami a huge apology.

And horribly, now she thought about it, Marinette had to wonder… what _ else _had Lila been lying about…? Her aunt, probably. She doubted her family actually knew the Tsurugis. Again, she felt like such a moron!

Why though?  
  
_ Why _had Lila been lying?

Was she lonely, did she just want friends? If that was the case, she could easily just have been her true self around everyone, and… Surely she just wasn’t trying to seek attention! ...was she?

Was she…?

No, it couldn’t be true! It just couldn’t!

There had to be a rational, logical explanation for all of this!

Oh, she needed to think about this! God, this was hard. She’d _ actively _engaged in isolating Kagami from the rest of the class! A horrific thought needled it’s way into her brain. Was… was she a bully?

Marinette didn’t want to consider the possibility, but…

“Baobei, are you alright?” her mother’s voice asked, and Marinette looked up from the barely kneaded dough. “You seem pretty distracted.”

Oh, Marinette realized. She was supposed to be doing something, wasn’t she?

“Maman,” Marinette said, just barely managing to get the words out. “I… I think I may have made a mistake.”

Sabine very quickly noticed her daughter’s distress and brought her in for a hug.

“Oh my little miànbāo,” Sabine said. “You could never make a mistake.”

“But what if I could? What if I had?” Marinette asked shakily. “You know my friend, Lila, right? She was claiming she was the Scarlet Serpent and…”

Oh crap. How was she supposed to explain that Lila wasn’t really the Scarlet Serpent, after all she couldn’t just say she met the real one and out Alix!

“...and after a bit of research, I… she discovered she was lying,” Marinette continued to explain. “But that’s not the worst part! No, there’s this new girl, Kagami okay? She tried to warn me! Tried to warn me that Lila was lying and… I… I helped isolate her from the rest of the class! Maman, I think I may be a bully…”

Marinette choked back a sob.

“Well, I can’t say I approve of your actions…” Sabine admitted and Marinette hung her head, her mother’s disapproval was worse than any punishment. “But! But the important thing is, you’ve realized your mistakes and you want to correct them.”

“I do maman, I’m just not sure how,” Marinette replied.

“Well, maybe you could extend a hand of friendship towards Kagami?” her mother suggested. “The poor girl sounds like she needs one.”

“...thanks for the reminder…” Marinette muttered before asking: “But what about Lila? What should I do? Should I confront her? I mean, I don’t even know why she’s lying to begin with!”

“Well, in _ my _experience,” her mother began. “People lie to seek attention, to feel better about themselves. Maybe Lila just feels insecure, she wants validation.”

“Well, she’s been getting that,” Marinette explained. “Ever since she stood up to Chloe, she’s practically been the class celebrity. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lila ran for class president, and won!”

“How much do you know about Lila’s background?” Sabine pressed.

“Not much. I know her mother works for the embassy, but… beyond that?” Marinette shrugged. “She’s very private about these types of things.”

“Mhmm, yes, that is pretty concerning,” Sabine mused. “I’ll make a few calls.”

“Calls, why?” Marinette asked, eyes widening in shock.

“I’m just curious about what’s going on at Lila’s home, maybe she has _ another _reason to be seeking attention…” Sabine trailed off.

“You don’t mean…?” Marinette gasped in horror as the realization hit her.

Was it possible, she wondered to herself. Lila _ hadn’t _really talked about her home life, beyond what her mother did. In fact, the only reason Marinette knew where the Italian even lived was because of what Master Fu had done during that time they’d suspected her of being Le Paon Bleu.

Why? Why would Lila be so private about her home life? Okay, maybe _ some _of it was paranoia, after all the daughter of an ambassador could be worth a lot of money to some people, but all the same… Oh great, now she was worrying! She just hoped her mother was wrong...

“I may be wrong, but it’s worth looking into,” her mother admitted. “In the meantime, I would suggest you spend some time around your friend, just see if she needs help. Also, I would suggest you spend some time around Kagami, apologize to her. Maybe get to know her. She might be a good friend for you, you never know.”

Marinette nodded. She’d seen Kagami hanging around Adrien and Nino, but apart from that…? She’d probably just arrived from Japan, and having to adjust to a whole new country with a completely new language? It was like Lila all over again!

_ “Except, unlike Lila, she doesn’t have a great support system,” _ Marinette mused. _ “Something I’m partially to blame for…” _

“Thanks Maman, and you’re right,” Marinette said, before her mother kissed her head. “That’s what I’ll do!”

\------------

“You alright, Mari?” Alix asked her that next day as they arrived at school. “You looked pretty shaken up, what with Lila and all.”

“Not just Lila, it’s how I treated Kagami…” Marinette admitted.

Alix sucked in a breath.

“Yeeeeeeeeeeah, not one of your finer moments,” she admitted.

“Gee, thanks for the guilt trip,” Marinette said. “God, it must have been hard for you, standing there and listening while Lila talked about herself being well… you know.”

“Eh, no biggie. Okay, I admit I was a little pissed at first, but the way I see it?” Alix asked. “Lila’s just wanting friends, even if she’s being a complete idiot the way she’s going about it.”

“Oh crap! I just remembered!” Marinette shouted, slapping a hand to her face. “Today’s the start of the class representative elections! And Chloe’s in the running again!”

“Hasn’t she been class rep for like, forever?” Alix grumbled. “Someone else needs to step up!”

Marinette looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, don’t look at me. Way too much work for me,” Alix said. “Between art club and sports? My schedule’s a bit full!:

A little lizard-like creature, with horns peeked out from under her cap. Longg, the kwami of Perfection, Marinette remembered.

“Worry not,” he said in eloquent tones. “I believe, young miss, you would make a great class representative. You are passionate about someone besides this Chloe being elected, correct?”

“Keep it down Longg,” Alix hissed out. “Someone could hear you, or worse, someone could see you!”

“I was only suggesting an alternative solution to your woes,” the little red dragon commented. 

“Yeah, but it’s like I said, I’ve got _ way _too much going on to run!” Alix told him.

“Perhaps young Miss Marinette could run!” Longg suggested.

“Wait, what, me?” Marinette stammered out. “Look, I appreciate the offer but… Oh, maybe…”

“Master, you mustn’t!” Nooroo disagreed, his voice coming from inside her purse. “As much as I hate to disappoint you, you must be reasonable. I’m afraid, between your duties as a superhero and your desire to become a fashion designer, you simply don’t have the time. If you were to add the stress of being the class representative on top of that…”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Marinette deflated seeing his point. “But we can’t just let Chloe win again!”

“If justice exists in the world, and I know it does,” Nooroo went on. “Someone willing and able will step up to challenge her.”

“You’re confident,” Marinette said as she wheeled herself up the ramp.

“If there’s anything I’ve learned while spending time around you, Marinette, if there’s anything I’ve learned over the centuries,” Nooroo went on. “It’s that righteous souls always exist, and are willing to fight the good fight. Or, in this case, are willing to fight to dethrone an evil queen.”

“Oh, I like him!” Alix laughed, having overheard the whole thing. “Have I ever mentioned that lately? Best kwami, ever!”

“Nooroo has always been someone to admire, yes,” Longg put in, still hiding under Alix’s cap.

Nooroo blushed sheepishly under the praise. He said, demurely, bashfully: “Thank you…”

“No, really, you should give yourself more credit!” Alix said. “You’ve really helped Marinette come out of her shell!”

“Well, I…” Marinette stammered. “No, really, the credit should go to you and Aurore, really…”

“I only encouraged her along, I don’t deserve any of the credit really. Marinette deserves it more than me,” Nooroo disagreed. “The potential was already there, my master could easily have come out of her shell all by herself. I only just gave her a little nudge.”

“Awww, Nooroo…” Marinette giggled, blushing.

“This still doesn’t change the fact that someone’s going to have to run against Chloe,” Alix pointed out. “Otherwise Miss Tyrant’s going to take the win, _ again, _in a clean sweep! No challengers, she wins by default!”

“Yeah…” Marinette sighed. “It’s like Majestia always says, all it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing!”

“And trust me, Chloe is _ definitely _evil!” Alix said, her friend nodding in agreement before Alix lowered her voice. “But you’d know a thing or two about Majestia wouldn’t you? God, I can’t believe you actually got to meet her! And Lady Victory, and the rest of the heroes!”

“Well, I… uh…” Marinette said. “Yeah, that was definitely an experience!”

“I still can’t believe you’re you know who,” Alix said, grumbling. “Like, seriously! I should have guessed! One of my best friends is the Idol of Paris, and it didn’t even cross my mind!”

“That’s the magic of the Miraculous at work,” Longg explained from under her cap. “It employs a little something called quantum masking. There’s a reason why neither Marinette nor Aurore could figure out it was you under Scarlet Serpent’s hood. It’s not quite brainwashing, perish the thought, but it does play with your vision a bit.”

“Sorta like how the Reverse-Flash vibrates himself just a little, to hide his identity?” Alix reasoned.

“Exactly like that!” Longg said. “You pick things up fast!”

“Eh, more like I watch a lot of superhero fiction!” Alix said before muttering: “...I can’t believe Felicity became a bad character so fast! Like, aaaaaaaaagh, she started out so good!”

“More like she started out as an escapist character,” Marinette pointed out. “When you added more depth to her, the real flaws started to shine through.”

“Hush, don’t ruin it for me!” Alix groaned. 

“If you say so…” Marinette shrugged. 

“Oh well, at least I still have my peeps, Iris and Kara, in the Arrowverse to fulfill my desires for strong female leads…” Alix muttered. “But I’m still salty about this!”

Marinette patted her arm in sympathy.

“...way too much drama on tv these days,” Alix muttered. “Whatever happened to superheroes you can just look up to?”

“Ratings happened?” Marinette suggested.

“Yeah, if I was in charge of the ratings, they’d be going down the moment when my characters started acting like they were in a soap opera!” Alix continued to grumble.

Sometimes, Marinette mused, she felt like her life was a soap opera. Except maybe with less death and resurrection.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kagami, looking around, presumably for Adrien or Nino. She looked, Marinette thought with a guilty wince, incredibly lonely.

“Marinette, what’s…” Alix started, before trailing off as she followed her friend’s gaze. “Oh. I see.”

“Well! Nothing for it then!” Marinette decided, starting to wheel herself over to her.

“Marinette,” Kagami said, spotting her. Her tone was like ice.

“Kagami, look, I’m…” Marinette said, unsure how to start this. Oh well, she told herself, might as well be out with it! No hesitation, she told herself. She owed Kagami this. “Look, you were right, Lila’s lying.”

“Figured that out now?” Kagami asked, still in that cold, emotionless tone of voice. “I was hoping you would figure it out, but I wasn’t going to be placing any bets that it would happen anytime soon. I guess I shouldn’t be gambling then.”

She laughed bitterly to herself.

“I was a bitch, you don’t even need to say it, but I was,” Marinette went on. “I should have checked Lila’s stories.”  
  
“Yes, you should have,” Kagami stated, her voice hardening even further if possible. “Please don’t waste my time, you’ve already proven yourself incredibly gullible. I can’t trust you, not if you’ll fall for Lila’s lying again. And I know you will.”   
  
“Hey!” Alix said. “Marinette’s apologizing, isn’t that enough? She’s been beating herself up over this, so you could at least accept her apology!”

“It is admirable that you would rush to defend your friend, but,” Kagami said. “But I still cannot trust her. Not yet, at least. I need time, and she needs to prove herself. Prove that she won’t fall for Lila’s lies, what’s the phrase? Hook, line, and sucker?”

“Kagami…” Marinette whispered trying to fight back tears. “Okay, I get it. I messed up. I’ll check Lila’s stories next time she pulls this! Hell, I’m planning to have a word with her about it anyways.”

“Good for you,” Kagami said. “Maybe I can respect you after all.”

“I shouldn’t need you to respect me…” Marinette whispered.

“No, you shouldn’t,” Kagami replied, her tone obviously one of finality. This conversation was over, it seemed.

Walking off, Kagami kept her eyes straight ahead, never looking back.

“...well, that couldn’t have gone more terribly even if I tried, could it?” Marinette said.

“Hey, the important thing is you tried. You said what you had to say,” Alix replied. “If Kagami isn’t willing to accept your apology…”

“Give her time, Master,” Longg said. “It’s only natural for her to be hurt. She, once she heals, will come around.”

“Yeah, hopefully…” Marinette whispered.

Meanwhile, Kagami’s thoughts were a jumble. She honestly didn’t know what to think.

_ “Marinette apologized to you, shouldn’t that be enough?” _ one part of her said. _ “She was like everyone else, under that vixen’s spell. She’s coming around!” _

_ “Yes, but what if she doesn’t?” _ another part of her brain asked. _ “What if she falls under Lila’s spell again? The two are clearly friends, that much is obvious. Why should you open yourself up to being hurt again? You were nearly prey to an amok because of Lila’s bullying!” _

_ “Marinette is NOT Lila,” _ the first part of her brain told her. _ “They are completely different people. In a way, she’s just as much of a victim as you are! Lila’s manipulating her, you know that!” _

_ “All the same…” _the other, nasty part of her brain continued to argue.

_ “Talk to Adrien,” _ Kagami said to herself. _ “He’ll know what to say. He and Marinette are friends right? You’re friends right? This is what friends are for!” _

So, that’s what she’d do…

What was with all the fuss around school today, anyways? Was something going on?  
  
Listening in to passing conversations, she realized. Class Representative elections. Of course!

And from the sounds of it, Chloe was the only one running. Not for the first time, apparently.

Well, that wasn’t right, was it?

Chloe _ clearly _wasn’t popular, but everyone was too afraid to run against her.

_ “So why don’t you?” _Kagami asked herself.

She was being foolish. Nobody would ever vote for her, not after… Still, a Tsurugi always welcomed a challenge! And what a challenge this would be!

Besides, maybe she could change her classmates' minds about her!

Wait, change their minds? They didn’t owe her anything! They, quite willingly, ostracized her. But then again, they were under Lila’s spell.

Lila.

Kagami suddenly had a horrific thought. What if _ she _ran for Class Representative?

Okay, that settled it. She was definitely running now! That witch simply couldn’t be allowed to represent her class! 

_ “Alright then! She wants a duel?” _ Kagami asked herself. _ “She’s getting one! A Tsurugi never backs down, never hesitates!” _

“Chloé is running for the class representative position and Sabrina will be her deputy. Do we have any other candidates?” said the teacher, Kagami had yet to remember her name. The poor woman was clearly struggling to reach an unreceptive room. “So, any new candidates who would like to run against Chloé and Sabrina?

In the back, Chloe smirked, apparently thinking this was going to be an easy win before going back to something far more interesting, her phone. Kagami chuckled to herself. If she only knew. 

Lila started to raise her hand, but then the whole class watched in shock as Kagami marched to the front of the room.

Whispers filled the class.

_ “She’s running?” _

_ “Not her!” _

_ “Oh great, out of the frying pan…” _

_ “What is she doing? Who does she think she is?” _

_ “I thought we had a truce!” _

Kagami ignored them all, of course. Though one, from Adrien, did make her smile.

_ “Kagami, wow…” _

“Miss Bustier,” Kagami said, gaze firm as an idea came to her. “I’d like to run, _ with _Adrien as my deputy.”

The whole class erupted in an uproar.

\------------

What? _ What? _ WHAT!?!

Marinette’s brain came to a grinding, screeching halt as she watched Kagami say _ she _was running for Class Representative.

...well, Nooroo _ did _say someone was going to step up.

She just never imagined that…

“Kagami must know what she’s doing,” Nooroo observed, chancing a peek out of her purse. “She seems confident.”

Marinette, meanwhile, spared a glance at Lila and almost _ recoiled _at the sheer ugliness on her face. Like, that was an expression she didn’t even know Lila possessed nor did she even want to know she possessed. It was pure, seething, jealousy. It wasn’t an expression that belonged to her, more like one she’d expect to see on Chloe.

Who, true to form, did _ NOT _look happy.

Hoo boy, Marinette mused over the din. This was going to be ugly.

Now she was so glad she wasn’t running.  
  


\------------

“We had a truce!” Chloe hissed angrily, shoving Kagami up against a wall and looking ready to throw hands.

Sabrina, for her part, looked very nervous. Whether at Chloe suddenly getting competition, what was about to go down, or for some other reason, Kagami wasn’t sure.

“No, our truce related to exposing Lila,” Kagami said calmly. “It doesn’t mean I can’t do other things.”

“Apparently not!” Chloe sniffed before turning on her heel and beginning to march off, heels clacking against the floor. “But be warned, now that you’re in the lion’s den, you’ll find I have claws!”

“I thought you were a bee?” Kagami drawled.

“Whatever,” Chloe said before shouting: “SABRINA! Keep up!”

Sabrina sent Kagami a curiously apologetic look before hastily following.

Interesting, Kagami noted.

But not as interesting as what was currently going down in Ms. Bustier’s classroom.

“But Ms. Bustier, I was so dead set on running in the class representative elections that I may have forgotten everything else, like I’m SO behind…” Lila said, playing for sympathy. 

“Very well then,” Ms. Bustier said. “Adrien, Marinette, would either of you like to tutor…?”

“I’m sorry, but I have to help Kagami with her campaign,” Adrien said hastily, having apparently seen the ugly look Lila had tossed her way, Kagami noted. “Plus, between my blog and my father’s photoshoots…”

“Oh, I see,” Ms. Bustier said. “I forgot about those, I’m sorry. Just pace yourself, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I will!” Adrien said gratefully, before walking off.

“I’m surprised you’re not running, Marinette,” Ms. Bustier said, surprised turning to her.

“I have too much going on at the moment to even consider running,” Marinette said. “If I get behind on my commissions… Trust me, I’m in the _ worst _possible position to run!”

“Oh, but Marinette, you’d be good competition!” Lila said, in what Kagami _ knew _to be a tone of false sweetness.

“Like Ms. Bustier said to Adrien, I have to pace myself,” Marinette replied kindly. “It’s a nice thought, but no.”

She wheeled herself out of the room, heading for her next class.

Kagami noticed the look of relief on her face and quickly guessed why it was there.

Evidently, she’d seen the ugly face her so-called friend had pulled.

For a moment, Kagami’s heart went out to her. She was obviously starting to discover just what kind of friend she really was.

Kagami quickly masked her sympathy under a carefully concealed mask.

As Lila passed, she turned to Kagami and hissed at her: “You’re going to regret challenging me.”

“No, I won’t,” Kagami returned. “Not in the slightest.”

Idly, Kagami wondered just how much longer her rival could keep her mask up.

Not long, she’d wager.

Not long at all.

_ “Oh well,” _ Kagami mused. _ “At least this isn’t like running for the presidency. No political attack ads!” _

Though give Chloe time…

In any event, Kagami was on the money with how long Lila could keep her mask up.

Again, in the bathroom, she confronted her. 

“You’re playing with fire, Tsurugi!” Lila sneered. “Careful, or you’re going to get burned!”

“Your lies are going to get you into trouble someday, Rossi,” Kagami returned before Lila wagged her finger at her. Kagami almost scoffed, what did she think she was trying to be? Intimidating? Please!

“Oh, but that’s the thing isn’t it?” Lila went on, in a simpering _ sickening _ tone of faux sweetness. “I don’t _ lie _ per say. I just tell the people what they WANT to hear. Like, for example, if they want to know a Prince is behind me, and I’m helping him with charity work… _ well! _And before you can even say the word ‘Google’, let me remind you, Prince Ali’s doings are carefully guarded. You just can’t easily look them up at the click of a mouse.”

“I almost feel sorry for you,” Kagami said, still incredibly calm. “You could have real friends, not just pawns. And the lies you’ve suddenly started using to boost yourself up, eventually the truth will out. You can fool some people all of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. The truth, as they say, will come and set them free.”

“We’ll see,” Lila said. “You shouldn’t have crossed me.”

She stormed out, broiling with emotion and in a state of incredible frustration.

Lila scowled. Who did that Japanese NOBODY think she was? 

She was going to rue the day she ever met her. 

She wanted a battle?

Well, she was going to get one!

She quickly found Adrien in the school library and smirked to herself. Kagami needed her deputy right? Well! Remove him, and she removed the competition.

“You know, you really should be careful of Kagami,” she said, sliding up next to him. “It’s okay to be afraid, a lot of us have been stabbed in the back by people like _ her. _They always have one thing in mind, to step on us little people and boost themselves up. We’re just means to an end…”

“Lila, I think you should leave,” Adrien said calmly. “And Kagami’s my friend, so please, talk nicely about her.”

“Well, she’s not _ my _friend. She’s my rival!”

But Adrien didn’t look phased.

“As I said, I think you should leave now. Lying to look good is one thing, but getting me to turn on my fencing partner is another. Please, go.”

Lila scowled, today simply wasn’t her day. First off, that Japanese bitch wouldn’t bow down to her, and now a mark who was completely resistant to her charms. What the hell was going on today?  
  
Oh well, at least she still had Marinette and the rest of the class in her corner…

\------------

Kagami _ wanted _to expose Lila, she so did! But, the problem was, well… if she was exposed, she’d be upset and lashing out and with Le Paon Bleu still around…

So, instead of focusing on problems she couldn’t handle, she could focus on ones that she could.

Like, say, Chloe.

Kagami frowned in disapproval when she reached the library, and saw Chloe only doing her nails while poor Sabrina was drawing up campaign posters.

“...and you call yourself her friend,” Kagami sighed in obvious disappointment. “That’s not friendship, that’s slavery.”

Chloe glared at Kagami, apparently thinking she was actually being intimidating.

“Of course it’s friendship!” Sabrina spoke up. “I help Chloe with whatever she needs, food, drink, exposing someone, or with her classwork! We've been doing this ever since grade school, when I started doing Chloé's homework, and we've been BFFs ever since!”

Kagami’s jaw dropped. 

“That’s… that’s not friendship. That’s- that’s not right!” she stammered out, actually shaken. Quickly collecting herself, Kagami spoke, eyes hardened. “You’re being used, and if you’re not smart enough to see that…”

In her mind, Sabrina thought back, remembering a similar conversation at the start of the school year.

_ “If I must back Chloe up, I shall,” Sabrina said, adjusting her glasses in offense. “That’s the way it’s always been for us. We've been doing this ever since grade school when I started doing Chloé's homework, and we've been BFFs ever since!” _

_ “...I don’t even…” Lila stammered out. “...wow, you are something else Bourgeois. I don’t know whether to laugh or just shake my head in pity.” _

Her eyes widened in shock as she realized she’d said the exact same thing then as she did now. Was… was that an actual practiced excuse coming out of her mouth, past her lips? 

_ “But Chloe… she’s…” _Sabrina thought.

“Hey, stay away from Sabrina!” Chloe started tearing Sabrina away from her internal musings, however briefly.

_ “See, she does care!” _

“Why, afraid you’ll lose your loyal dog, Bourgeois?” Kagami asked coldly. Her eyes softened as she turned back towards Sabrina. “You don’t have to take this from her, you know…”

“But she’s my only friend!” Sabrina said, eyes somewhat misty.

“Because she’s probably scared off all of your other possible friends right?” Kagami asked, feeling pity for her, and only pity. “You’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, I get it. You can’t make friends because everyone associates you with Bourgeois, nor can you try to make any because she’s scared off anyone you try to be friendly towards. She’s got you trapped, in a box. Well, let me help you break out. I _ want _ to be your friend. Do you understand? I _ want _to be your friend!”

“But Chloe…” Sabrina started, the excuses sounding weaker and weaker with each attempt.

Kagami almost smirked, clearly she was starting to get to the glasses-wearing ginger. 

“You’re a smart girl, your potential is wasted with Chloe,” Kagami continued to say. “She’s probably hindering you, with your grades starting to slip because you’re so focused on keeping _ hers _up!”

Here, she cast a withering look towards Chloe.

Sabrina thought to herself.

_ “Yeah, it’s true. My grades are starting to slip, but…” _ she wondered. _ “What about Chloe? What’ll happen to her, if I…?” _

Kagami knew she was right on the edge, she just needed one more little push.

“It’s okay,” she said, letting her own mask slip. “I can help you find some new friends…”

“Stay away from her…” Chloe growled.

“See?” Kagami continued, gesturing to Chloe with Sabrina following her gaze. “She’s threatening me, or is she threatening you? I don’t know, actually, and I suppose it doesn’t really matter does it? Point is, your ‘friend’ is threatening someone! Right in front of your very eyes!”

“I… I…” Sabrina started, not sure of what to say.

Her whole life had revolved around Chloe, since grade school. But now… Someone was offering her an out, an alternative. 

And she didn’t know what to do with it.

Chloe was her only friend.

She’d always been her only friend.

Except…

Except!

Except, what if Kagami was right? 

What if Chloe _ had _ been threatening people behind her back?   
  
She didn’t _ want _to believe it, but… 

But! 

She’d been around Chloe long enough to know what she was like.

Sure, they’d had some good times, playing superhero in her hotel against the evil ‘Big Mustachio’ but… at times, Sabrina would admit to feeling very lonely.

At times, she wished she had other friends.

And here was one, right in front of her very eyes!

Maybe.

She wasn’t sure.

Should she take her up on her offer?  
  
What if she was like Chloe?   
  
What if she was only stealing her away so Chloe wouldn’t have a deputy?

No, Chloe _ needed _her!

But, then, she’d been Class Representative for years now!

And nothing good had ever come of it!

The class hadn’t improved, at least not that she’d seen.

She didn’t want to say it, but the truth was staring her smack in the face.

Chloe was a terrible Class Representative and more importantly…

“She’s a terrible friend…” Sabrina realized.

“WHAT?” Chloe shrieked.

Kagami resisted the urge to feel smug. She could see Sabrina’s whole world shatter, right in front of her very eyes.

“What was that?” Chloe hissed. “What did you say?”  
  
“I… I said you’re a bad friend,” Sabrina stammered. “There, I said it! You’ve done nothing but use me, and you haven’t improved the class and you’ve chased away any other friends I might have…”

Her voice turned into a wet sob, the girl starting to cry. She fell into Kagami’s arms, continuing to cry.

Chloe gave the Japanese girl a deadly glare, before hissing: “You’ll regret this!”

“Ooooh, scary,” Kagami deadpanned.

“They won’t accept you, you know. You’ll see, Sabrina. You’ll see she’s wrong,” Chloe continued. “You’ll see I’m the only friend you’ll need.”

Sabrina fought back another sob. “Is… is she right?”

“Of course she’s not,” Kagami said, keeping a watchful eye out for amoks. “You’ll see. Your class. They’ll accept… DUCK!”

She’d seen the amok coming, and then Sabrina pushed her to the floor even as a blue mask enveloped her face.

“Go find Lady Papillon, and Scarlet, and Honeybee, tell them…” Sabrina fought off Le Paon, fought them off long enough to say: “Tell them to save me.”

And then Kagami found herself thrown out of the room, as something crashed through a wall.

\------------

Marinette heard the crash, realizing that it was probably time to be a hero again.

“Woah, what was _ that? _” Alix asked. “Like, that was a big crash!”

“Your second day as a superhero, apparently,” Aurore said, having heard the sound as well. “You know what time it is, right?”

“Oh yeah, I know someone’s probably in trouble, but…” Alix said. “This is never going to _ not _ be awesome!”   
  
Finding a forgotten classroom, all three let their kwamis free.

“Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!”  
  
“Pollen, Buzz On!”

“Longg, Bring the Storm!”

\------------

Lila smirked, seeing the chaos from a window. “I give the forgotten a chance to be reborn. They should be grateful! I hear their darkest secrets and allow them to transform. They’ll be coming, I know that. But I will wait, and I will rise. All of Paris, soon amokatized!”

\------------

It was a pretty obvious sentimonster, all things considered.

The giant maid costume gave it away.

“...a robot maid dog?” Alix said, disbelievingly as she leaped towards the creature. “...welp, you can’t ever say life as a kickass superheroine ever gets boring!”

Annnnnnnnnd there was Adrien, already filming, Marinette mused to herself.

“Hey, he’s filming for his blog right?” Alix questioned. “I say we give him, not to mention the rest of Paris a show!”

“...what are you planning?” Aurore asked warily.

“Oh, just you watch!” Alix said before calling: “Hey Adrien, you’re going to want to film this!”

Adrien didn’t know what to expect, least of all what came out of Scarlet Serpent’s mouth _ next _.

“Listen, is that a terrified voice I hear?” Scarlet started off, Honeybee blinking in shock before bursting out into a laugh as she realized.

“It's speaking to me, really, loud and clear.” she continued, the two playing off each other. Marinette just groaned as it hit her.

“Floating on the wind…” Scarlet said.

“Past the stars…” Honeybee picked up, the sentimonster turning to face them.

“In your ear!” Papillon groaned, wondering if they _ really _had to do this.

“Bringing heroism at a breakneck pace…” Scarlet said, striking a pose.

“Rushing in with hope, putting despair in its place!” Honeybee chorused.

“A rose by any other name is just as sweet…” Scarlet grinned.

“When everything's safe, our work is complete!” Honeybee grinned, leaping towards the sentimonster.

Adrien, internally, was totally _ geeking out _seeing them go through this whole routine he’d watched so many years ago.

“Scarlet Serpent!” the dragon hero introduced herself.

“And it's yours truly, Honeybee!” Aurore winked, kicking the monster square in the face.

“Papillon, now that's a name!” Scarlet said, pointing at her friend.

“Putting the supervillains in their place…” Honeybee said, swinging around and up above the sentimonster, flashing a cheesy grin at Nadja and her cameraman, who’d just now arrived.

“Team Miraculous…” Scarlet laughed, before with a shout of: “Wind Dragon!” changed into a gale-force wind, making the giant maid dog robot thing stagger.

“...And we're in your face!” Honeybee finished, calling out: “VENOM!”

With a flash, her stinger appeared and it struck straight and true.

They’d already figured out the plan.

Papillon knew her powers could reach people, she’d seen it with her champions. Theoretically, she could reach people who’d been infected by an amok. All she had to do was find them inside all of that negativity.

And she could see a little beam of positive energy, one of hope masked inside a great darkness. It was foul, almost overwhelming. Marinette cursed the person behind all of this. One day soon, Le Paon’s reign of terror would end. Right now though, she had to stop this monster and save the person who’d spawned it.

And then, she realized. It took her a minute, but she figured out _ exactly _ why this monster looked as it did. The maid costume, the appearance of a dog. A loyal robot, seemingly following orders? _ “Oh, Sabrina…” _

Summoning a Tenshi to her hand, and blessing it with hope and life, she watched as Alix blew a hole open in the robot’s side, having changed into lightning. 

The little white butterfly fluttered into the mechanical menace’s hide, and Marinette felt the emotions nearly overwhelm her. Hatred, rage, anger, humiliation, despair, shame. 

Everything foul seemed to spill into her head, but Marinette? She fought and searched for that beacon of hope she’d felt before. And then, she felt it. And she knew immediately what had happened, seeing it all replay inside her head as her butterfly fluttered into Sabrina’s hand.

_ “Sabrina!” _ she called out. _ “It’s okay, I’m here now. We’re all here, your friends. I know Chloe, okay? She’s a horrible human being, no denying that, but I can also feel Kagami’s friendship for you. She wants you back, she wants her new friend back! Goodness knows she needs them, just like you need her. You’re both lonely people, and yeah I’m sad about that. I’ll make sure you both get friends, proper ones. I’ll talk to your fellow classmates as myself, not as Lady Papillon. But if you want to see her again, you need to fight this! You need to come back to us!” _

Sabrina felt the overwhelming wave of light and love wash over her, like a tidal wave, and she sobbed.

“Okay…” she whispered, feeling her control over the beast began to loosen. “Thank you, My Lady.”

The monster burst wide open, and she fell into Papillon’s arms…

\------------

“So, we lose again,” Duusu said, nibbling on some bird seed as she watched Lila seethe.

“...apparently,” Lila sighed, taking a deep breath as she saw Lady Papillon wrap a blanket around Sabrina, talking to her softly.

“Just a question though?” Duusu asked. “Did you have to do that _ rap _after you transformed? Like, it kinda sucked!”

“Oh hush!” Lila snapped, swatting her away.

\------------

Marinette groaned in pain after feeding Nooroo, having been run ragged these past few days.

Sentimonsters, one after the other!

She was now _ really _ glad she didn’t decide to run for class rep. She just wanted to collapse in her bed after school was over. She was _ beyond _exhausted by this point, and there was still a few hours of school left!

But… all the same, she smiled. Sure, Sabrina had been amokatized, but the _ reason _ she’d been done so in the first place? She’d realized what a terrible person Chloe was, and actually _ wanted _a new friend or two. Proper ones.

Well, Marinette knew who her second new friend would be!

Did she feel a bit sorry for Chloe, having lost her only other friend? Maybe a little. But it didn’t excuse her behavior, not one bit.

Marinette hoped she’d learn and grow from this experience, maybe lose a bit of her brattiness. Maybe, just maybe one day she could call her a friend as well…

She knew there was a halfway decent person in Chloe, somewhere _ very _deep down. Because Adrien had been friends with her, and he was a pretty good judge of character.

Marinette paused, frowning. A better judge of character than her, apparently. He’d recognized Kagami as a potential friend, and she… she hadn’t. She’d just flocked to Lila’s side like a loyal dog.

Like… like _ Sabrina. _God! Was she like Sabrina?

No! Lila wasn’t like that, she wasn’t like Chloe!

_ “But!” _ a nasty little voice in the back of her mind asked. _ “Why is she lying? Surely she’s not just trying to make herself look better…?” _

Her mom was right, she needed to confront Lila about her lies.

And soon!

Hopefully, she wasn’t playing her for a fiddle.

_ “No, don’t think like that! Lila’s your friend! She’s been there for you, through thick and thin!” _

Except…

Except she’d had doubts about her before, right?  
  
_ “Surely not… She’s not Le Paon Bleu! She was amokatized!” _ Marinette told herself. _ “Paon sought her out! Turned her into that huli jing beast!” _

Except… there was a possibility neither she nor Master Fu had considered.

It couldn’t be true… could it? 

_ “Okay, let’s consider the facts. You know nothing about Lila except what she’s presented to you, you don’t even know anything about where she came from except she’s from Italy and her mother’s a diplomat! Assuming she’s not lying about that as well, though why she would is… Yeah, let’s assume she’s telling you the truth for now. But! You don’t even know what her home life’s like!” _ Marinette pondered to herself. _ “So go ask her! You need to know why she lied about being Scarlet right? Get that out of the way as well!” _

Marinette steeled herself, she needed to do this. She needed to get some answers around here.

And maybe prepare herself for the consequences…

She heard a buzz, like a bee.

_ Exactly _like a bee.

“Pollen?” Marinette asked, wheeling herself in a spare classroom.

The little goddess buzzed about frantically, carrying in her paws… Marinette’s eyes widened.

“So THAT’S where my phone went!” She gasped.

“Sorry, Marinette,” Pollen said sheepishly, and if kwamis could blush, Marinette could swear she was right now. “I… I had my suspicions about something, at least for a while now, and I needed to… I’m sorry, but I had to do this!”

“Do?” Marinette asked, not sure she really wanted to know. “Do what?”

Pollen, nervously, hesitantly, sat the phone down in front of her and brought up a video. She pressed play, and Marinette’s eyes widened in horror as what was on the screen played out.

Shock, horror, humiliation. _ Anger. _

Marinette fought back a sob. She didn’t _ want _ to believe it, but she couldn’t deny it any longer. There, on the screen in front of her, was Lila _ threatening _Kagami. Saying that the girl couldn’t stop her, practically boasting it even!

Marinette felt hot salty tears threaten to break, Pollen rubbing up against her comfortingly.

“I’m sorry…” Nooroo whispered in her ear.

“How… how long?” Marinette asked with barely disguised rage in her voice. She’d been lied to, played like a fiddle! Lila just used her, and used Aurore, and used Alix and used poor Nathaniel! “How long have you suspected…?”

“For a while now?” Pollen admitted. “I dunno what did it for me, just something… it always seemed off about that girl.”

“I’m… I’m glad you got wise, we certainly didn’t…” Marinette whispered, her voice small.

“You don’t think…?” Nooroo wondered.

“But we took it off the table!” Pollen argued with him. “We saw her, she got amokatized! She simply can’t be…”

“Can’t she?” Nooroo asked. “There _ are _loopholes, Pol…”

“Yes, there certainly are…” Pollen practically snarled, and Marinette felt the waves of pure _ rage _roll off the kwami.

She knew what she had to do.

Right before they’d left New York, Majestia had given Marinette and Aurore spare communicators. Just in case.

Marinette had never thought she’d need to use hers, but now…?

Now she thought differently.

She knew just who she needed.

“Majestia?” she said hesitantly into the little device. “I… I think I need your help. I think I need Uncanny Valley’s help. Please, if you’re there… I think I might know who Le Paon Bleu is!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pollen's been a busy bee, hasn't she?
> 
> (Huge thanks to Keyseeker and Book_Squirrel for their imputs on this chapter, y'all don't know how much help you were!)


	20. 20: What Chloe Saw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKA where Chloe gets *several* reality checks and strives to become a better person in the process.

“Sabrina, did you see…?” Chloe asked upon an unfamiliar girl passing them by, someone she’d never seen in this school before. And she knew _ everyone. _“...Does she even go to our school?”

Chloe, her curiosity getting the better of her decided to follow. _ After all, _ she reasoned, a class president had to know _ everything _ about whom she ruled over. Better to address their concerns that way right?   
  
“T-Thank you for coming…” Dupain-Cheng’s voice said shakily, from behind closed doors. Chloe raised an eyebrow. She sounded like she had been crying, and oh hell who was this new girl anyways? Did Dupain-Cheng have a new gal pal or something? Did Lila break up with her? ...well, that certainly would explain why she sounded like she’d been crying! 

_ “...though honestly, Dupain-Cheng could do soooo much better than ‘Liar Liar I need validation so I lie my ass off and someone please set my ugly orange jacket on fire’. Honestly, this whole school is utterly ridiculous, failing to see through her bullshit! She’s such a Karen, so entitled to make everything all about her!” _

“I a-apologize for calling you away from New York, o-on such short notice…”

** _“NEW YORK?”_ ** _   
_ _   
_That did it, she was removing herself from this… well, whatever this was!

“Sabrina, do my nails,” Chloe commanded. “They’re looking a bit… Sabrina? Where are you?”  
  
Why would Sabrina… where would that little traitor go? 

...oh, right. With a sigh of resignation, Chloe tried to keep her head held high. Everything… yeah, everything was fine.

\------------

The new school year had started off so well, Chloe awakening to the bright and shining Parisian sun apparently sent to greet her. Wrapping a robe around herself, she stepped out onto her balcony and took in her kingdom.

_ “New year, new me!” _

She basked in the sunlight, the morning’s rays apparently all for her as it illuminated the kingdom she would one day inherit. The Princess of Paris, rising to greet the new day and soon all would be aware that _ she _ was amongst them once more. Raising her hand mirror, she took in her visage and nearly shrieked in realization at how much of a commoner she looked like. No, this simply wouldn’t do!   
  
_ “Girl, we've got work to do. _

_ Pass me the paint and glue _

_ Perfect isn't easy... _

_ But... it's... me!” _

Chloe giggled as she imagined birds holding her hair back, tying it into a ponytail as she did her makeup. That song described her so well! Of course Adrien knew what he was doing when he introduced her to Disney movies. The Prince in his castle knew exactly how to please his Princess.

_ “After all, when you know the whole world is watching, and of course it is. After all, who wouldn’t want to watch ME? But one does what one must! Just a few minor adjustments here and there, not for my vanity but for the rest of humanity. Let them look in awe and wonder, and let them seethe that they can’t be as perfect as me!” _

Doing up her hair, Chloe opened up her closet. Gold and glitter for a girl like her! A hot mess was soon transformed into a perfect princess, ready to face the world. Francois Dupont better brace itself, because it didn’t know what was going to hit it! Each little step turned into a strut, and her shining carriage transported her to her kingdom.

_ Sigh! _Of course Dupain-Cheng would be in her year again. The baker’s daughter, poor as hell, daring to step foot in her kingdom of gold. Well then! Time to put her in her place! 

“Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” came her usual war cry.

“...Oh boy, here we go again…” came the groan of a street rat. Honestly, Kubdel could do sooooo much better, her father was the director of the Louvre for crying out loud! She could at least _ try _to hobnob with her social class. One party a year, it wasn’t that hard. “Who ticked off daddy’s perfect little Princess?”

Yes, she was perfect. Thank you Kubdel, for acknowledging that! At least one of Dupain-Cheng’s friends had a brain! 

“Out of the way Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe said. “You and your loser friends are blocking my light.”

“I don’t see a copyright on ‘the light’ that says it exclusively belongs to you,” Dupain-Cheng said in a rare moment of courage. Oooooh, so she did have a bit of wit! Clearly, she was trying to stand up to her this year. Oh well, give her time and she’d be back to normal.

“Move, just because you’ve grown a bit of a spine doesn’t mean you get to boss me around,” Chloe sneered, flicking Dupain-Cheng’s nose. “You may be cute, but that doesn’t get anyone anywhere.”

“Cute?” she saw Kubdel mouth in shock before muttering: “...even when you compliment someone it’s backhanded.”

“Power gets people everywhere,” Chloe remarked with a little shrug, more interested in her nails than this honestly. “Not insecurity and sweetness. I'm just commanding a bit of respect, that's all.”

“Yeah, by being a bit of a brat…” Dupain-Cheng went on, mostly tuned out. It wasn’t like she had anything worthwhile to say anyways!

“What do you know?” Chloe asked. “Just because you were endorsed by Gabriel doesn’t mean a thing. In the end, you’re still just a poor baker’s daughter.”

“Hey, that’s going too far!” Kubdel snapped, the little rabbit apparently having some teeth. Chloe wasn’t blind either, given she did notice the entire courtyard seemed to be slowly gaining an interest in this conversation. “You know perfectly why -like anybody else here- the reason Gabriel Agreste helped Marinette! So back off!”

“Ooooh, baker’s daughter can’t fight her own battles so her lackeys stick up for her?” Chloe, entirely disinterested. She’d even handed her nails off to Sabrina. “How cute… and how entirely pathetic.”

“You’re lucky I have better things to do than hang around and banter with you,” Chloe sniffed. “I have a friend coming to this school today, Adrien Agreste -you know that name right Mari?- so everything must be perfect for him.”

And soon her whole world came crashing down upon the realization that Dupain-Cheng DIDN’T know who Adrien was! Wow! Had she been living under a rock? Or was she really that stupid? Amazing, Gabriel had donated money to help her -it was a classic PR move really, help a disabled child to stir up interest in your company- and she didn’t know of his only son?

“You’re telling me you know who Gabriel is, and yet you don’t know who Adrien is?” Chloe asked, moving from stunned silence to just enjoying the hell out of all this. “Oh, now you must be joking. He’s in allllllllllll the papers. Of course, then again I’m not surprised. You do seem to live under a rock at times Mari.”

“Don’t call me Mari,” Mari growled. “Only my friends get to call me that.”

“Bah,” Chloe said with a very visible roll of her eyes. “In any event, he’s being transferred from Kingsworth International School over to here, our very only little Collège Françoise Dupont! Isn’t it a dream come true?”

And the answer was yes, of course it was a dream come true! 

Nothing could ruin this day, not even a feisty little Italian who really needed to know her place! Lie-la had just declared war, really. Chloe knew her type. She’d seen them before. They were fake diamonds, trying to sparkle but were hardly ever polished. Oh sure, Dupain-Cheng seemed quite taken with her, but it was such a pity honestly. Usually the girl seemed to know better. Was she _ that _desperate for friends that she’d take a dollar store gem trying to pass herself off as something better? 

_ “Oh well, too bad, so sad. I won’t feel sorry for her when she gets burned, Lie-la leaving her behind for someone _ ** _far _ ** _ better as she climbs the social ladder. Maybe this will teach her a lesson! Don’t put so much faith in people. In all honesty, Dupain-Cheng needs this. When all is said and done, she’ll know that not _ ** _everyone _ ** _ has her best interests at heart.” _ _   
_ _   
_The day went on, as they did without much interesting happening. Classes came and went, though sadly Adrien never showed. Oh well, maybe he’d got caught up in modeling, his father always did seem to treat him like a paper doll at times… He was like a real life Rapunzel, trapped in his tower!

...wait, was that a giant pigeon?  
  
Chloe dived for her phone, immediately checking the news. Wait, where was Adrien? Surely he wasn’t caught up in all of this! ...oh, knowing him he was probably chasing after Big Bird here. He had no sense of self-preservation! ...wait, a _ live stream? _Really Adrikins?

Oh well, might as well check it out… _ “Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news, and sorry Nadja if you have that phrase copyrighted or something. I’m still new at this, so cut a guy a break okay? So, yeah… Paris, threatened by a giant pigeon of all things. Can’t say I was expecting this. Hi, my name’s Adrien Agreste and despite possibly fearing for my life, I intend to bring you news on the hour and updates as they come. Also speculations. Where did this pigeon come from, did it fall in a dump of radioactive waste or did some mad scientist cook it up in his lab? The public does want answers. If any of you have any information as to what might have happened, please send your speculations to my phone number.” _

Oh, she’d certainly be sending _ something _ to his phone number! It wouldn’t be a speculation though! Firing off a frantic text laced with obscenities and yelling at Adrien to get his butt to safety, it was all Chloe could do now but to watch in a mixture of horror and shock as Pigeonzilla ripped up rooftops with each flap of his wings. This… this wasn’t happening right? This was unbelievable. A giant _ pigeon _destroying Paris?

And then… just as soon as it had arrived it was gone. And a heroine addressed the city, challenging the monster’s creator to give themselves up. “Nice try, but I think we know who started what. If you hadn’t sent out your Amok, and created that massive pigeon to oppose us we wouldn’t have had to step in. Let's not reverse the roles here. Without you, none of this would have happened. Nobody would have their despair used against their own city to create monsters. So, Paon Blue, I’ll tell you this. No matter how long it takes, we will find you, and YOU will hand us YOUR Miraculous!”

Chloe felt a surge of… something race through her, not sure if it was the type of feeling she could put a name on. An actual pair of superheroes in Paris! This just didn’t happen right? Like, this was straight out of a comic book! Like… what? When she woke up today, she’d expected to rule the school for another year, and have everyone bowing before her. Instead, they were bowing before someone else!

Oh, okay, yeah, sure America had superheroes but they tended to stay _ in _America. Instead, now the colonies and their problems were crossing over to France! It was just… oh she couldn’t even deal with it right now. This was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! ...oh well, looks like there went her wish for a normal year. Was this like My Hero Academia now? Like, was this the dawn of the age of heroes now?

...and yes, she knew what My Hero Academia was. Blame Adrien, he was _ such _a total weeb! Though honestly, Chloe preferred stuff like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. Love conquered all, and in fabulous costumes at that! A bit cheesy, a bit corny and she’d never recover if the world knew of her secret passion. But… well, what the world didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. (Yes, she did totally prance around with Sabrina in magical girl costumes, fighting against the evil Mr. Mustache. Who, of course, intended to give the world bad mustaches. The horror!)

\------------

  
  


Time passed by, the attacks growing weirder and wilder. Honestly, Chloe would give Le Paon this. They were certainly creative, even if they had a bad sense of humor. A _ literal _mama bear. Honestly… she’d heard better puns from Adrien!

_ “Ugh, can you get any more lame? Making punny villains, it’s not cute and it’s certainly not _ ** _punny_ ** _ . Oh gawd, Adrien’s starting to rub off on me. He’s tainted me! He’s tainted me!” _

Chloe had her freak out, her world crashing down all around her even as thunder crashed outside, a drenching pouring rain smashing into the hotel windows. Days like this, she remembered were best spent under the covers watching trashy movies. Oh, she hoped Adrien wasn’t out in this weather. 

...and oh, there was a livestream. Of course he was stupid enough to brave this weather, and catch a cold _ just _ for the views. Oh, his father must have been having a conniption! _ “Now, apologies for you if you’re out in this weather, ugly isn’t it? Thankfully, there is some good news for you. I’m coming to you live with the latest update. That was Honeybee folks, on her daily patrol. Feel sorry for her, water can’t be good for the wings. I envy her partner, she’s probably nice, home and more importantly, dry.” _

Chloe suppressed a snort as her poor Prince was drenched to the bone by a passing car, throwing water up into his face. He looked like a poor drowned alleycat, begging for someone to take him in. Not her though, daddy would kill her if his new floors were ruined! 

_ “...If you’re watching papa, I’m sorry. Like, I really am. Not trying to be a daredevil. Just bad luck, I guess.” _

Chloe scoffed at that. _ “Sure you’re sorry. Adrikins. Of course you’re trying to be a daredevil, get yourself a thrill. You’ve been chomping at the bit to get outside, climb out of your tower. You jumped at the chance, and even if you have to stick yourself right in the middle of superhero vs supervillain battles, well! Admit it, you’re enjoying this!” _

The next morning came with a surprise to everyone. Adrien and Dupain-Cheng seemed to be burying the hatchet! This came as a surprise to Chloe, knowing Lila had utterly ruined their chances at friendship the first time around. All to keep Dupain-Cheng to herself, the little yandere.

“I thought you hated me, you know, for the um… Gum, incident?”

“Yes, well, decided I’d give you a second chance that’s all. Besides, to be honest from the looks of it I’ll be stuck with you for a while so might as well try and clear the air,” Dupain-Cheng said, awkwardly even as she stuck out her hand. “Look, can we start over? Marinette.”

“Adrien,” her perfect prince said, sticking out his hand in turn. “You sure it’s… uh, alright with your friend there? She seems to be giving me the stink eye.”

Chloe followed his gaze, noticing Lila about to have kittens at this development. It was all she could do to choke back a laugh, watching the little fox’s plan all fall apart. An ugly scowl was on the Italian’s face, her expression venomous like a viper’s. How Dupain-Cheng had utterly failed to see this was… well, beyond her. Selective obliviousness maybe?

“Okay, so I’ve been proven wrong,It happens, but I was just looking out for my best friend. You know how it is right?” she asked sweetly. Chloe choked back another laugh. As if anything about her was sweet!

Honestly, she’d tuned out most of the conversation. As if she wanted to hear her best friend become tainted by Dupain-Cheng! There came a moan, and a thud, and Chloe looked up to see Adrien slamming his head into his desk.

“...I’m going to take that as a no then, right?” Dupain-Cheng asked and Lahiffe patted his friend’s shoulder sympathetically. Wait, what was going on? Oh right. _ The Blog. _As if it could be anything else!

“Dude’s been grumbling about this all week, like every time he tries to get close to either Honeybee or one of Lady Papillion’s Champions well… Something happens. Either his chauffeur -we call him Le Gorille- shows up to take him home, Honeybee’s transformation starts to time out or the Lady releases her tengus or whatever they’re called,” Lahiffe explained. Tenshis! Not Tengus! You could at least _ try _and pay attention, you lamebrain. “So yeah, being my poor dude here is suffering.”

“Nino, did you know I had a run-in with Honeybee yesterday?” Adrien eventually piped up, sounding over the moon. “Didn’t get an interview out of it but… Honeybee knows me! My blog! She thinks it's awesome! Awesome! Awesooome!”

_ “Careful Adrikins, the whole world hasn’t heard of your crush on Honeybee yet!” _

Was she a bit heartbroken? Maybe a little. While Chloe wasn’t going to bust out the ice cream _ just yet _, it… yeah, it did kinda hurt to realize that as long as Honeybee existed, she might as well give up trying. As always, she’d hide the pain. Grin and bear it. It’s what she did whenever the subject of her mother came up, after all!

“It’s okay Chloe, I’m sure Adrien will notice you eventually!” Sabrina tried to reassure.  
  
“Yeah… yeah,” the blonde mumbled. “...I, yeah I think he’ll open his eyes as to what’s in front of him eventually. It’s just a celebrity crush, after all. It’ll fade, embers snuffing themselves out. They’re not real feelings. Just a gentle smolder!”   
  
Now… Why did she sound like she didn’t believe that? 

“Maybe you should up your game?” Sabrina suggested. OF COURSE! That was genius!  
  
“Yeah, up my game. Glad I thought of it.”

“...I thought of it actually,” Sabrina tried to argue. 

“Hush Sabrina, I don’t pay you to think.”

“...yeah, no, you don’t,” Sabrina admitted, all doom and gloom in her tone. She should really perk up, not many could claim to be Chloe Bourgeois’ bestie! And claim to have all the benefits that came with it! “...but you do pay me to suggest maybe you should talk to your dad? He might know a thing or two about wooing someone!”

Now there was an idea! So as soon as the bell rang, signalling freedom… There was only one person Chloe wanted to see.

“Daddy, how do you… well, how did you win mom over?” she said, practically _ begging _ her father for advice. Well, maybe she didn’t _ beg _ per say. A Bourgeois never begged. They just graciously, kindly asked for advice. “I’ve always wondered actually!”   
  
“Lots and lots of fancy dresses,” her daddy replied. “My money helped as well!”   
  
“But it’s Adrien! He’s got all of the money in the world!” Chloe whined, before clapping a hand over her mouth. Ooops, she’d said too much! “...oh, I guess the cat’s out of the bag isn’t it?”

“Oh, don’t worry honeypop, I always knew it was him you liked,” her daddy replied, hugging her close and supportive as ever. “You two were always so close as kids, it… Well, Audrey did say that maybe she and Gabriel should arrange a marriage when you two were older.”

“Really?” Chloe asked, eyes widened in shock.

“It’s true, you always seemed so happy,” her daddy replied. 

“Maybe we are made for each other, but I don’t want to get him that way…” Chloe mused. “I want to win him over, fair and square!”

“Well, he does like fashion…” her daddy pondered. “I heard rumors Gabriel was going to do a fashion contest for young designers, perhaps you could enter sugarplum?”

“Hmmm, now there’s an idea! Follow in my mother’s footsteps and maybe earn not just her respect, but my Prince’s heart!” Chloe pondered, before hugging Andre tightly. “Thanks daddy!”  
  
“Anything for you…” her daddy said before an explosion rocked the city. “...now, if only solving our resident supervillain problem was so easy!”   
  
Outside their windows, the two could see yellow and blue darting across the city. Then came the whine of a police siren, before Rogercop’s suped-up police chaser rushed by the window lights flashing.   
  
“You know daddy, you really should give Lieutenant Roger a raise,” Chloe suggested, in perhaps one of her rare moments of kindness. “He’s incredibly loyal to the law and to Paris. The Lady Papillon does seem to keep on choosing him as a champion for a reason!”

“Oh, if only we had the budget to spare…” her daddy groaned, rubbing his head. “...it’s just that with all of the repairs we keep doing to this city, our coffers are nearly dry half the time. At least that’s what it feels like. To make matters worse, my poll numbers are down! If I can’t get rid of Le Paon Bleu soon, I may not be reelected for another term!”

“Oh daddy…” Chloe said sympathetically, hugging him close. Outside, they could hear the cheers, the roaring approval of a crowd gone wild. They were chanting a name.

_ “Pa~pillon! Pa~pillon!” _

“See how they call her name! If I didn’t know better, I’d say they’d want her for mayor, not me!” her daddy whispered, sounding like he was to sink into despair at the very thought.  
  
_ “Pa~pillon! Pa~pillon!” _

“...they can’t elect a teenage girl for the mayor’s office…” Andre asked, rather worriedly as he bit his nails. “...could they?”  
  
“Of course not!” Chloe scoffed. “If that were the case, _ I’d _ be in office and changing Paris for the better!”   
  
“You would do that, sugarplum. That you would…” her father agreed.

“And I already have some ideas, let me outline them for you,” Chloe said pulling a giant roll of paper out from behind a desk like she was about to launch into a several point presentation. “Think about it daddy, if you follow these ideas you may make that re-election after all!”  
  
“Being re-elected _ is _always nice…” her father seemed to agree.

“Firstly, mandatory anger management classes. Think about it!” Chloe started. “If people knew how to control their anger better, maybe we wouldn’t have so many sentimonsters created from their rage! Le Paon would be forced out into the open! They’d have to face Papillon and Honeybee!”

“...and they could be captured!” her daddy realized, a metaphorical lightbulb flashing on over his head. “This is genius! Why, Chloe, I never knew you had these ideas!”  
  
“Well!” his daughter replied, gleaming with pride. “Maybe that’s why you should be listening to me more often!”   
  
“Now, obviously,” Andre continued, looking over the ideas with the spark of inspiration alight in his eyes. “These ideas of yours, they’d take time to implement. We’d have to vote on them, but something tells me getting them past the city council will be a piece of cake!”

Chloe left her father’s office, her head held high. She was _ useful! _ Like, someone was actually listening to her ideas for once! Instead of brushing them off! She felt like she was on a cloud, on an ethereal high and she’d never touch ground ever again. It… yeah, it was a strange feeling honestly, being _ nice _for once. Being listened to.

Honestly, this was probably the first time she’d ever felt this way. Of course it was, it wasn’t like her mom ever listened to her. She’d always been too caught up in everything else, usually involving her next big hit. Her newest design. _ “...and I never know why I’m always surprised by that. There’s a reason she left daddy here in Paris. I’m not even sure she cares for me! It’s like… totally unsurprising. She just married dad for the connections, right? Like, with her husband in politics she could establish a foothold in Paris. Already have her name tossed around, have it already on someone else’s lips. Better to be known than be a nobody right?” _

Shit. She was crying again wasn’t she? Hugging her teddy closer, Chloe let the tears fall as she sobbed. Maybe one day her mother would appreciate her. Maybe one day. 

\------------

A brand new glorious day would shine on her as her chance to win Adrien’s heart soon presented itself. Mind, there was always that fly in the ointment. Namely a certain wannabe fashion designer.

_ “Ugh, I can’t believe I’m stepping into this hole,” _ Chloe thought to herself disgustedly. _ “Designing fashion like… her. But don’t worry Chlo, you just have to be like your mom for a little while longer. Just let Adrien see you as a fashion designer, see you doing something he likes! That’s how people connect right? Having something in common?” _

“Uh, hi Mr. Agreste. I'm Chloé Bourgeois. You know my father, André Bourgeois, the mayor?” She said as Mr. Agreste walked over to ‘her’ hat. “Marinette copied my design! It's scandalous, how could she do that?”

“I apologize for the situation Mr. Agreste, but I can prove that this derby hat is MY original design,” Dupain-Cheng said as she wheeled herself over. She picked up her hat in one hand, and Chloe’s in the other. “Um, everything on my derby hat is hand-made. from the embroidery to the weaving of the band, to the stitching of the brim. Note the differences.”

Of _ course _ the little brat signed hers! She was such an idiot, like… how did she not notice? ...and oh, Adrien didn’t look happy. _ Sigh. _Right… mess with Dupain-Cheng at your own peril. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too mad…

“Chloe…” he said. “I thought I knew you. Stealing designs? You could have ruined my friend Marinette’s career as a designer had she not signed her design! I’m ashamed to call you my friend right now. In fact… I’m not even sure if I can be friends with a liar and a cheat.”

Chloe thought she heard Kubdel make a smart remark, like how ‘Sunshine was mad’ or something along those lines.

“Adrie-kins…” Chloe said with her lower lip beginning to tremble.

“No, it’s Adrien!” Adrien barked. “I’m not sure why you feel the need to go out of your way to be such a bully, but it stops now. I cannot be friends with someone who goes out of their way to bully one of my best friends!”

Chloe felt her whole world rocked. Adrien… he was yelling at her? He never did that! It was like he was honestly mad at her. ...was he? No, he had to be joking, r-right? He wouldn’t suddenly stop being friends with her over one stupid mistake? How was she supposed to know that Dupain-Cheng was going to sign her hat? How was she supposed to know he was so protective over her? Honestly, the way he went on you’d have thought it was _ her _he had a crush on, not Honeybee!

She wasn’t a bully, she was just preparing people for the cruel realities of the world! People weren’t always nice, and Dupain-Cheng needed to understand that. What, did she honestly think people wouldn’t try and steal her designs? They were _ that good. _Honestly, she was amazed Gelato hadn’t tried yet! 

“But… but…”

Adrien wasn’t going to allow her to get a word in it seemed. Even if she wanted to explain herself! She deserved a chance to do that, right? “No buts, my word on this is final. I’m done talking here…”

Fighting back a sob, Chloe tried to keep her dignity. 

All she wanted to do was to help Dupain-Cheng, show her some of the harsh realities of the world! If Adrien couldn’t see that… well, he was too naive for his own good! 

People hurt one another, cheated and stole. They were always so ridiculously selfish, after all. Dupain-Cheng needed to understand that. She was a smart girl, would have been top of the class if not for yours truly. So why she hadn’t worked out that she was entering the ring, as it were. That if she wasn’t careful, she’d get torn to pieces. 

Honestly, she always needed a backup plan. A second design. Really, what if Chloe had sent Sabrina over to utterly destroy the hat? What then? She’d be out of the competition unless she had a backup! Honestly, if Dupain-Cheng hadn’t worked this out, maybe she wasn’t as smart as Chloe thought she was.

Whatever, so Adrien and her were taking a break. She could deal.

“...I can’t believe you,” Kurtzberg said, walking up. “Adrien’s right, you could have ruined Marinette’s fashion career before she ever really had a chance. It’s her dream you know.”

Huh, so tomato boy was feeling brave today. Guess everyone seemed to be growing a spine lately. Was it something in the water?

“And I’m just helping her along!” Chloe scoffed, flipping her hair.

“H-Helping her? How do you figure?” Kurtzberg muttered, rolling his eyes in disbelief. “This ought to be good.”

“Well, the fashion world is dangerous, like a pool of piranhas. I’m just pushing her in the deep end of the pool gently, that’s all. Giving her a taste of reality.”  
  
“Oh, is that what you call this?” Kurtzberg asked. “Almost humiliating her in front of the entire school, and in front of her idol?”

“Oh please. Give me a break, it’s Dupain-Cheng. She’s always so innovative, she’d find a way to claw herself out of the ruins,” Chloe commented. “Besides, everyone just seems to _ love _her. They’d hate her for about all of five seconds!”

“Are you sure about that?” Kurtzberg asked, interrogatively and narrowing his eyes.  
  
“Are you defending her as a friend, or as her crush?” Chloe asked him, trying to quell him back into line. “Because honestly, the way you look at her sometimes? Honestly, it’s almost as disgusting as you making goo-goo eyes at Gelato! Honestly, pick one or the other. Preferably Dupain-Cheng. She at least doesn’t make my skin crawl.”   
  
“Leave my friends alone,” Kurtzberg replied. “You don’t have any right to talk about them that way.”   
  
“Is Gelato really your friend?” Chloe commented, her earlier sadness replaced by rage of someone messing with her hive. “Ask yourself. Is she really? Or is she just hanging on to your popularity and your talent like a cheap whore?” 

Kurtzberg gave her a dirty look, which she ignored.

“Because don’t get me wrong, as loathe as I am to admit it? You, Dupain-Cheng, Kubdel and hell even Beauréal? You’re all _ ridiculously _talented in your own fields, you’re going to go places. Meanwhile Gelato… honestly, she could be an author if she really tried. Oh, if I had a dime for every story she’s made… well, I’d be even richer but that’s besides the point,” Chloe commented. “Point is, well! She’s nothing, and she knows it. Only thing she’s good for is making everyone else look better by comparison. Of course, all of you are so blind so you never see it.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Kubdel said, her eyes crackling like a thunderstorm. “Honestly Chlo, you’re something else. Like, _ wow _ . The only time I’ve seen you happy, put it this way, is when you’re putting someone else down.”   
  
“Is there a point to this?” Chloe had to wonder. “I’ve already been ragged on enough today.”   
  
“Yeah, by Adrien, good job on him by the way. You needed a reality check,” Kubdel replied. “And here’s another. Nobody likes you Chloe. You’re impossibly mean, and as much as you think everyone should fawn over you… your own ego gets in your own way yet again! One of these days, you’ll work it out for yourself. When you’re alone in a crowd. People don’t forget, and as much as they may try… they certainly won’t forget _ you. _Just something to think about.”

“Well of course they won’t forget me! I’m Chloé Bourgeois!”  
  
She was given a withering glare in return. “...you say that like it’s a good thing.”   
  
Going for the gold in burns… Alix Kubdel. As the crowd parted to let her on by, Chloe was left wondering… was she right?

\------------

“Honestly, I don’t see why you need Kubdel to defend you,” Chloe couldn’t help but say to Kurtzberg. “You were plenty brave back then!”  
  
“Yes, well… Alix, she’s incredibly loyal to her friends. I think if she’d be a great superhero,” Kurtzberg mumbled, the redhead once again hiding in his notebook and trying to ignore the looming presence over him. “...now please, can you leave? I’m trying to get some work done.”   
  
“You’re not drawing your lady love again, are you?” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Honestly, aside from it being totally stalkerish… there are so many better subjects to draw. Like moi!”

“I’m not stalking Marinette,” Kurtzberg said to her, apparently too afraid to meet her eyes. The nerve! “She’s a friend. It’s okay to draw friends. ...not that you’d know.”  
  
“Is that supposed to _ mean _ something?” Chloe growled, unable to stop the venom in her tone.   
  
“I’ve seen how you treat Sabrina,” he went on, still refusing to meet her eyes. The sheer disrespect! “She’s too cowed by you to say anything, but the way you treat her? That’s not friendship, that’s slavery.”

“Me and Sabrina have a connection,” Chloe said sweetly. “I don’t expect you to understand, Kurtzberg.”  
  
“I’m not sure I want to, though I’m afraid I understand just fine,” Kurtzberg remarked sourly. “I don’t think you’ve ever had a true friend in your life aside from Adrien and even then he’s left you. I honestly pity you. One day, and I hope it’s one day soon, Sabrina will realize what she’s missing out on and then where will you be?”   
  
“SHUT UP!” Chloe snarled, shoving Kurtzberg up against the wall with his sketchbook falling to the pavement. “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!”   
  
Of course, this attracted all kinds of attention. 

“Hey, hands off him, Chloe,” said Lahiffe, pulling her away with the help of Kubdel. “Leave my dude Nathaniel alone!”

“Get your filthy commoner hands off me!” Chloe shrieked. 

“Honestly, I’m glad Adrien isn’t here to see this. That he’s still in Italy for Fashion Week. My dude has faith you’d eventually become a better person,” Lahiffe went on. “...honestly, right now though? I think you’re kinda proving him wrong.”  
  
Chloe went into a stunned silence. Despite after _ everything _ , Adrien… he still believed in her? “...whatever, he hates me. Didn’t you hear? I’m a liar and a cheat right?”   
  
“Well, you’re not wrong there, but…” Lahiffe seemed to think. “He thinks you can be better. He doesn’t hate you by the way. He’s just… disappointed. He still cares for you, Chloe. Maybe you should think about that?”   
  
“So you’re appealing to my better nature, is that it?” Chloe spat at him.

“Basically, yeah,” Lahiffe shrugged. “My dude has faith in you. ...why don’t you go on proving him right? That he’s not mistaken in thinking you can be a better person, that his faith isn’t misplaced.”

...it was an odd day when Lahiffe had a point. But all the same, he was probably correct, Chloe was forced to admit. He clearly knew Adrien, given they seemed to be best friends. Why, she wasn’t sure but Chloe was forced to admit Lahiffe _ may _ have had a point. She… had been a terrible friend lately. Maybe she thought she was doing Dupain-Cheng a favor but, well obviously Adrien didn’t think so. Maybe she _ should _start seeing things from his point of view.

And well, from his point of view she was being a bratty bitch. Now it didn’t matter if it was true or not, Adrien certainly thought so anyways. He was too kind to say it, but she’d seen it in his eyes. She’d disappointed him. 

It hurt, honestly, seeing that disgusted look in his eyes. _ “Oh god, does this mean I’ll have to be nice again? Once was bad enough. But… but if it earns me Adrien’s respect again, maybe it’ll be worth it. So, I guess a whole new Chloe is in order right? Whoopee.” _

Sadly, Fate made it harder than it seemed to prove to the class she wanted to change. Take in her little spat with Rossi in the alleyway. 

“...look, I know you and Lila have your differences, I’m not sure why you two hate each other but could you at least make an effort?” Lahiffe sighed. “Marinette’s friends with her, and she’s a pretty good judge of character. Lila can’t be _ that _bad, why can’t you just accept that?”

_ “I’ll accept that the day I give up being a bitch,” _ Chloe thought to herself irritatedly. _ “...which, apparently, may be happening sooner rather than later.” _

She sighed in resignation, long and loud. This was her life now wasn’t it? Brand new day, well apparently it called for a brand new Chloe. _ “It can’t be that hard, can it? To… change?” _

No, it wouldn’t be easy. But if it got Adrien back… maybe it was worth it. All the same though…

Again Chloe tossed a nervous glance to Liar Rossi. Every moment she spent in this class, the more her power grew. And Dupain-Chen… Marinette didn’t even want to consider the possibility that her best friend may be nothing more than fool’s good. Forget 24 Karat! Try just being a _ Karen. _

_ “Ridiculous,” _ Chloe thought as she moved through the halls, watching Gelato and Marinette chatter animatedly away in front of her. _ “Utterly ridiculous. Oh well, maybe one day this class will learn.” _ _   
_ _   
_ Chloe was, quite frankly, amazed when the new transfer student arrived and she didn’t seem to be falling for Gelato’s bullshit one bit. Huh, she supposed it was _ possible _to not fall for Rossi’s line of crap once under a blue moon. 

...not that Kagami seemed entirely keen on making friends with her. 

“Don’t bother with Rossi, I’ve been trying to tell the entire class something stinks about her, but…” Chloe groaned to herself, rubbing her forehead. She was honestly nursing a headache. “They won’t recognize her shit for what it is. They think she’s gold! Even Marinette, who really should know better.”

“Lovely,” Kagami said.

“I saw you hanging out with Adrien, by the way.”

“What of it?” Kagami questioned.

“Just… be careful with him okay? If I find out you’ve hurt him…”

She felt it proper to warn this girl what she was getting into, really. Adrien had been hurt enough by her own stupidity. Chloe didn’t want his newest friend damaging him any more than… well, she had.

“Oh, like you did?” Kagami asked and Chloe blanched in shock not expecting to be called out for her past mistakes. “Oh yes, I know who you are. He mentioned you over ice cream yesterday. You’re his ex-best friend. Chloe, correct? Considering how you used him and how you hurt him, I don’t think you have any room to talk.”

Chloe let out a hiss, like a cat as Kagami strutted off before sighing again. Well, she wasn’t wrong was she? _ “I really have screwed up haven’t I? I’ll be lucky if Adrien takes me back. I’ll just settle for him not hating me honestly by this point…” _

And well, if she cried in private a little… the walls weren’t talking.

If Chloe was being honest though, she was glad Adrien had a new friend. Someone who actually seemed to be loyal to him, and respected his wishes. _ “Well done samurai girl.” _ _   
_ _   
_Was there a possibly that Kagami might win Adrien’s heart? Yeah, probably and honestly Chloe wouldn’t entirely blame Adrien for falling for her. They shared a fair amount in common. (Which was how romance worked right?) They both fenced, and from the looks of it they both had fairly oppressive parents.

That was one more thing than Chloe had in common with Adrien, she would admit. _ “Very well then, I yield. Go get him, samurai girl.” _ _   
_ _   
_Even when she stole her best friend away from her, after the initial rage and fury had passed Chloe sighed in exhaustion. Another friend was gone, thanks to her own innate stupidity. 

_ “You’ll regret this!” _

_ “Ooooh, scary,” Kagami deadpanned. _

_ “They won’t accept you, you know. You’ll see, Sabrina. You’ll see she’s wrong,” Chloe continued. “You’ll see I’m the only friend you’ll need.” _

_ Sabrina fought back another sob. “Is… is she right?” _

_ “Of course she’s not,” Kagami said, keeping a watchful eye out for amoks. “You’ll see. Your class. They’ll accept… DUCK!” _

Honestly, there was only one person here regretting anything. And it wasn’t Kagami. 

Chloe had seen the amok come for Sabrina, and could only watch in horror what happened next. It was like everything had gone into slow motion, as the blue feather landed on skin. Sabrina had become enveloped in a violent storm of negative emotion. Everything boiled over and it was only thanks to three heroes -who did the Team Rocket motto of all things, nerds!- that everything turned out alright.

_ “I’m sorry Sabrina…” _ Chloe sobbed noisily, taking seclusion in her favorite bathroom. _ “I’m so sorry! I should have taken the amok, let it control me instead! Not you! I’m the one who deserved to get beaten up… Not… not you.” _

Trying to make it out of the bathroom without anyone seeing her, Chloe accidentally bore witness to something she probably shouldn’t have seen. In went Scarlet Serpent to a broom closet, and out came Kubdel. Suppressing a gasp of shock, Chloe ran and hid trying to process this new piece of information. It was surprisingly easy, actually.

_ “Of course she’s one of the heroes. ...Why am I not surprised? It fits her so well. I don’t know who’s giving out superpowers right and left, but I do know who they shouldn’t be going to. Me. That being said, I will try and do better. After all, if there’s a hero in my class I should live up to her standards.” _

Elsewhere, she wasn’t the only one who’s world was being rocked. 

“Yes,” Uncanny Valley said, pure white metal shining in the sun. “I do detect magic in this school. Four sources of it. And yes, one of the sources _ is _ Lila Rossi.”   
  
Marinette choked back a sob, her suspicions nearly confirmed. “What… what do we do?”   
  
“Why, we confirm it of course,” Uncanny replied. “I assume you have a plan?”   
  
And Marinette’s eyes narrowed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... uh, yeah, writing this chapter was... interesting to say the least. I don't *like* writing from Chloe's perspective, she's kinda grating really. But at least here, she's actually working harder to change. Honestly? In canon, I could see the argument she might have become a better person if she put more effort into it, but the sad fact of reality is... well, if you give an entitled brat *more* power you're honestly giving her and her attitude validation.
> 
> So yeah, here I worked to make Chloe a better person, maybe not spectacular but at least a halfway decent one. Of course, it wasn't without it's hurdles as her own ego got in the way time and time again. But, the way I figured it you had to break her down to build her up. Take away the two most important people in her life before she would start to realize it was her own attitude that was causing the problem. Firstly, Adrien, he didn't go back to her and made it clear that *she* had to grow up. And then she lost Sabrina, and saw her changed by an amok due to things *she* said.
> 
> Now, will I take the Nymph route and make Chloe a hero? ...Probably not, but she'll at least be a better friend in this timeline.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh dear god, what have I signed myself up for? ...Oh well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I popped my Ladybug cherry, so to speak and wrote something for this fandom.
> 
> I REGRET NOTHING! I also own nothing, so please don't sue.


End file.
